


The High Warlock of Brooklyn(s Sister)

by CrystalHeartZyx



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, I just don't care anymore, I loved this until Season 3, M/M, Nachos are delicious, Someone please gripe about the TV series with me, Someone please help me find the will to finish this, Spoiler: she doesn't stay the High Warlock of Brooklyn's Sister, Tags Are Hard, unrelated but you guys should know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 10:46:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 179,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19249621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalHeartZyx/pseuds/CrystalHeartZyx
Summary: Ashushunamir is no ordinary Warlock. She's been working to protect Clary all the Shadowhunter's life, but now that Jocelyn is missing, she has to work to protect the other Warlocks with her little brother Magnus, as well as keep the knowledge of the cup away from all those who seek both her and it. Follows the TV series.





	1. Jocelyn's Gone Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Shadowhunters, blah, blah, blah. I have only ever watched the TV show, and only recently has my friend dragged me back into the fandom, but as we should all know, once you're in, you can never escape. Also it was mostly because of Malec. Seriously, best ship ever.
> 
> Update: I have now read the books and the TV show pales in comparison

"Hey, Dot, Shu," Clary said as she walked in.

"Hey!" Dot greeted, looking up from her tarot cards.

"Clary! Happy birthday!" Shu called, giving her a quick hug.

"How's your future looking?" Clary asked Dot.

"Not as good as yours," She said. "The tarot cards tell me you got into the advanced program."

"And by 'The tarot cards' you mean 'Simon's Twitter account?'"

Dot smiled guiltily. "Okay, I follow him."

"I heard it from Dot," Shu said. "You know I'm not tech savvy, Clary."

"Turns out, predicting the future with tarot cards is  _very_  complicated," Dot admitted, flipping over one with a chalice on it. " _But,_  I do see a birthday present in your future."

She reached down behind the glass case and handed Clary a bag.

"Dot!" Clary exclaimed.

"Okay, open it!"

She pulled out a designer shirt that might not have made it past a school dress code, but it was fancy.

"Wow."

"Yeah, you might wanna keep that on the DL 'cause your mom's my boss and I don't want her to flip out."

"Yeah, but that's how I know it's cool."

They all chuckled.

"You know, you're way better at gift-giving than magically predicting the future."

Dot shrugged. "Nothing magical about it. I just buy the things I wanna wear."

Clary put the shirt back in the bag and gave Dot a hug.

"Happy birthday."

"Thank you."

"Well, I got you this, since I'm terrible at giving gifts," Shu said, handing Clary a box.

She opened it and found a bracelet made of white crystal beads.

"Shu, it's beautiful."

"Yeah, but it's cheap. I literally picked that up for like a buck at the store earlier."

"Glad to know you remembered my birthday."

"Oh, I'm kidding! I'd never forget! I just…waited until the last second to get something so…it would be a surprise!"

Clary laughed and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you."

"No prob. Eighteen is a milestone in life." She sighed. "Enjoy it while it lasts, girl."

"Oh, it hasn't been  _that_  long since you were a teenager."

"Feels like an eternity."

"We love you Clary," Dot said out of the blue.

"I love you too," Clary responded, though confusion creeped into her voice.

Dot merely sighed and stared at Clary with a worried look on her face.

"You okay?" Clary asked.

Dot looked distracted, before shaking herself out of her daze and forcing a smile. "Yeah. Happy birthday. Go up and see your mom."

Clary grabbed her presents and put the box from Shu into Dot's beg before heading up to the apartment.

Once she was out of the room, Dot walked to the door to the shop and took the 'Open' sign down, flipping it to the 'Closed' side and locking the door.

* * *

_**Ten Years Ago** _

Jocelyn came knocking at the door with her daughter in hand.

"Magnus!" She called. "Namir!"

"Please. Only a Warlock can do this," Jocelyn begged.

Jocelyn tied Clary's arms with rope, her daughter confused and terrified as to what her mother was doing. "Mom?"

"It's okay, honey, it's for the best."

"You're not protecting her," Magnus warned. "You're deceiving her."

"For as long as possible," Jocelyn agreed.

"She won't be a child forever, Jocelyn," Shu warned. "You can't protect her from her fate. If anything, all you're doing is making sure she's unprepared for the life ahead of her."

"For now, I don't want her part of our world," She pressed.

"Mom, I don't wanna do this," Clary said.

"Please, take her memories."

Magnus waved his hand as blue energy formed and his eyes glowed yellow and slit. He waved his hand across Clary's forehead and the blue smoke hummed as her memories were pulled out and away.

* * *

Shu walked upstairs to find Jocelyn sitting and staring at Clary's art folder, running her hand over the rune she'd drawn.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Luke said, walking in. "Captain's got me on those demonic murders."

"Look at the drawings," Jocelyn said. "It's already happening."

"I warned you it wouldn't be permanent," Shu said. "The only reason it's lasted this long is because I've been here to watch over her personally. Now, there's just no more holding it back."

"We all knew this time was coming," Luke sighed. "We'll tell her together."

"No," Jocelyn declared. "It was my choice. I'll do it alone."

"All right. Well, do it soon. If she's unprepared, your life is in danger. And so is Clary's."

"Hey, Luke!" Said girl called, having put on the shirt Dot gave her along with a green hoodie over it. "What's up?"

"Hey!" He greeted, putting his smile back on. "Incredible drawings."

"Oh, thanks."

"And I got you these."

He reached into the bag he'd brought in with him and pulled out a box full of cans with colorful caps.

"Spray paint."

"Oh, they're perfect!" She muttered.

"If I catch any of that paint on city walls, I will arrest you," He warned.

"The paint is for Simon's van," She promised. "I'm insisting they rename the band."

"Oh, yes please," Jocelyn said.

"Yeah."

Luke noticed something sticking out of Clary's pocket. "Did your mom talk to you about that?"

She looked to where he was pointing and pulled it out. "The heirloom. Yeah, it's beautiful."

"Clary," Shu began. "You're 18 now, and-"

"What is with you guys?" She interrupted, seeing that Luke had a serious face on as well. "I'm turning 18. It's not like I'm heading off on some epic journey."

"But you are!" Simon called, walking in. "See, we are going to Lombardi's to celebrate your birthday after our gig."

"You should come back here after," Jocelyn suggested.

"The city's not that safe right now," Shu agreed.

"Uh, thanks, mom, Shu, but we're set."

"Yeah, we'll take a rain check," Simon agreed as they began to walk out before he stopped and turned back. "Wait, do I smell chicken cacciatore?"

"Simon, your gig," Clary reminded him.

"Oh, you're singing?" Luke asked.

"Yes, big gig. And by big, I mean not so."

Luke chuckled.

Jocelyn gave her daughter a tight hug.

Clary choked dramatically. "Losing circulation here."

"Breakfast, you and me, tomorrow," Jocelyn declared. "Promise?"

"Yep," Clary said casually, not seeing the serious look on her mother's face. "Mom? Uh, mom? Mom, you have to let me go. I'm biologically, and legally, an adult."

She patted her daughter on the back and reluctantly released her. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Clary gave her mom a reassuring smile, and Jocelyn returned it as best she could.

Clary turned to Simon. "Ready?"

"Yep."

"Just let her be a kid for one last day," Jocelyn muttered.

"I gotta get out as well," Shu said. "Magnus is holding  _another_  rave tonight, and insists that he needs me there for some reason."

"Do you think you could watch out for Clary tonight? Discreetly. Tonight is…shaky. The perfect time for things to go wrong."

"Understood. You look after yourself tonight too, Jocelyn. Just because Clary's the one in the dark doesn't mean you're in any less danger."

* * *

Shu was not one for parties, which was odd since she was a friend of Magnus Bane. She honestly didn't understand him sometimes, and they were soul bonded.

She found him sitting on a couch with a ton of people all dressed in punk outfits nearly as eccentric as him, both the men and women. They were obviously not short on drinks, and Magnus seemed fine on his own.

"Remind me again why I needed to be here," She said.

"You never get out, Asushunamir."

"For a reason. This-" She waved her hand around to the loud music, flashing lights, and clump of bodies, "-is not my style, and you know it."

He looked behind her and saw two men dressed in black suits with glasses on. "There are other reasons."

He passed his drink to the girl beside him and walked over to the two men, Shu taking interest and following behind. "Circle members aren't welcome in my club," He declared.

The two shifted nervously before the shorter one spoke. "No worries, Warlocks. It's all ancient history."

"Really?" Magnus asked, revealing his eyes. "To me, it was like a blink of an eye."

The taller man surged forward, but Shu held her hand out and her dark purple/blood red wisps of magic flared to life on her palm, the man choking and being lifted into the air as he struggled. Magnus held his hand out and his blue magic flared to life between his fingers, and he shifted his index and middle finger apart, rotating his hand to the sound of bones crunching.

"We've endured worse," The man choked out in a high-pitched and strained voice.

"You've  _inflicted_  worse," Shu retaliated. "And so have we."

"Leave," Magnus ordered.

The smaller man gave the pair a glare, but moved to leave.

"There are more," Shu declared. "And some angel blood in here too."

She tossed the taller man away as the two of them made their way through the crowd.

Clary suddenly ran out of an area blocked off by curtains and bumped into Magnus.

"Sorry…" She muttered, staring at him for an extra second before shaking her head and turning to continue, pushing her way through the crowd despite Simon calling out to her.

Shu reappeared from turning invisible. "Move. I've heard a fight already. They're probably going to leave ashes all over the place. I'm heading to warn Dot. Make sure Clary and Jocelyn don't wander into a trap unprepared, or all those years of looking after them will have gone to waste."

* * *

Shu sent a message to Dot before she ran through the streets only to find that there were traces of magic running through the Fray household. Dot was gone, Jocelyn was gone, Clary was gone, and the cup…

* * *

"Luke."

"I found someone looking for Magnus and you," Luke reported. "One of the Circle members. They're hunting all Warlocks, but they're looking for you two in specific. You need to get back to him and warn him."

"I'm sure he already knows. Have you seen Dot?"

"She went to the Fray house earlier. Apparently she sent Clary through a portal to me, but she never arrived, at least, I never saw her."

"She could be stuck in limbo, you mean."

"Do you think you could find her if she was?"

"I can certainly try. What about Dot?"

"She went to look for Magnus as well. She had stayed to help defend Jocelyn, but she got tossed through a window apparently and is now low on magic and is looking for your help. You and Magnus hold the key to Clary's memories, as well as Jocelyn's, so you need to watch yourselves."

"Maggie would be offended if he heard someone trying to  _warn_  him, but we get it. I'm not sure Magnus wants to get dragged into another war, however, and he won't help the Circle, nor Dot."

"Better he's not helping either side than helping the Circle. Right now, can I request that you help find Clary?"

"Of course. Valentine gets his hands on that cup and we're all in deep shit."

* * *

Shu hurried through the streets, searching for Dot's signal. Her magic was weakened, that was for sure, and so it made her a little harder to sniff out.

"Warlock!"

She turned to find two men behind her, carrying seraph blades with plenty of runes.

"Where is Clary Fairchild?"

"I don't know arseholes, but I sure as hell wouldn't tell you if I did know."

"You're her," One realized. "Asushunamir. You're coming with us."

"Like hell, bitches."

She pulled out her custom Stele and quickly drew some runes on her arm before pocketing it and charging at the two men. Each swung their blades, but they swung way off course, as though they weren't even  _trying_  to hit her.

She punched one of them in the gut and then kicked the other in the face, grabbing the first she'd punched and throwing him into the second hard enough to slam them into the wall, cracking the solid bricks behind them.

"Move in!" "Get her!"

Shu looked over to find at least six other men jumping down from the buildings around her, all armed and some drawing their own runes. She waved her hand and three of them were surrounded by her magic purple/red wisps, and she clenched a fist to have them scream and freeze up, bones crunching and snapping, before she threw them against the walls.

She charged in to meet the other three, one swinging completely past her and gasping in surprise before she grabbed his weapon and his arm, snapped his elbow in the wrong direction, wrenched his arm out of its socket, before then throwing him against another of the men.

He dodged his partner, while he and his remaining one attacked from both sides, trying to surrounded her. She kicked one of the approaching swords away with her foot while snatching the hilt of the other and tossing each of the weapons into the air.

She proceeded to spin around, grabbing each man by their shirt and then twisting and pulling so that she slammed them together in front of them, skulls shattering with a sickening crunch, before she dropped them to the ground.

She then proceeded to walk over to the only man left alive, the one who's arm she'd dislocated and who's elbow she'd snapped. Stomping on his back hard enough to break ribs, she grabbed his still unharmed arm and proceeded to pull it back at a painful angle, causing the man beneath her to scream out in pain.

"Tell Valentine that if he wants something from me, he'd better come out and meet me personally," She said. "Your numbers are dwindling, so if he wants to keep enough lackeys to believe he's got some kind of leverage, I suggest he leaves me and my kind alone."

She then released the man and walked out of the alley, snapping her fingers and the corpses all suddenly ignited, burning away the bodies faster than any normal flame, until there was nothing left but ashes.

* * *

"Magnus, hey, I just got back from a streetfight. How are things going here?"

"Shu. I'm evacuating the Warlocks now."

To prove his point, he motioned to a portal which all of the Warlocks in Pandemonium were walking through.

"Good, great. Have you seen - oh, there she is."

"Magnus! Shu!"

Dot came running in. "Hey. Why haven't you answered my messages, Magnus? Jocelyn's missing, and I-"

"I've been a little busy protecting our people from certain death," Magnus said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jocelyn's brilliant plan is screwed," He said bluntly.

"Never one to mince words," Shu muttered.

"Valentine knows a Warlock brewed the potion that put her to sleep. He's hunting Warlocks down one by one."

"Wait, so you're leaving?" She asked in disbelief.

"You've always been the quick study, Dorothy. It's our only choice until we know what Valentine is up to. Let's go."

Magnus moved to step through the portal and take Dot too, but she stopped him. "No, I-I can't. I've been portaling all over the city looking for Clary and my magic is dangerously low. I need your help."

"Are you really going to risk your life for a Shadowhunter?"

"This isn't us vs them, Magnus. If Valentine gets the cup, we're all doomed."

"Valentine can't kill what he can't find."

He stepped backwards into his portal and offered his hand. "Last chance to save yourself."

Dot hesitated, looking to his hand before he disappeared through.

"I need to go with them too, Dot," Shu said. "I need to ensure the safety of the Warlocks before we continue the hunt for Clary. I'm sure some local Shadowhunters found her. She'll be fine. You should come with us and replenish your strength before you continue the search."

"Shu, you know what kind of trouble will happen if we don't find Clary."

"And I know the kind of trouble that will happen if Valentine gets his hands on you or I. We are the key to the cup, the key to Joselyn, and good bargaining chips in exchange for Clary's life, and you know Clary's too good to decline an offer that might save our lives in place of hers. Not to mention the fact that Magnus and I know where Clary's memories are, and Clary can at least buy some time in her ignorance. Come on, Dorothy, please."

She offered her hand, and Dot looked to it for a moment, before taking a step back. Shu sighed and looked to her sadly. "Don't get yourself into trouble, Dot."

Shu walked through the portal, but Dot waited and watched as it closed in front of her, before running out of Pandemonium.

And then proceeded to get kidnapped.


	2. Warlocks Meet Shadowhunters

"Someone's going to set you up and try to find you, Maggie," Shu warned.

"I'll hide in plain sight," He argued.

"At the biggest Downworlder event in the world, the guy who is literally known for partying, won't be expected to be there?"

"If you want to argue and worry about me, why don't you come too?"

"Seriously? Centuries of trying to get me into parties and you really think it's gonna work now?"

"Parties have changed within the last few centuries. I'd say I'll get you into them eventually."

"Keep trying, bro."

"If you come with me, I'll be protected, and it's not like even if I went alone I couldn't just portal my way out of there the moment someone catches me. Or do you doubt I can handle myself?"

"I don't exactly doubt that, I just doubt that you're taking the fact that you and I are the most wanted Warlocks in the world while in the middle of a war for the cup, with Valentine looking for us and all of our kind, no less."

"We've been the most wanted Warlocks for ages now. Are you really not used to it yet?"

"I'm used to it. Which is why I'd stay here."

"Being hunted is not an excuse not to party. Weren't you alive in Beowulf's time?"

"Yeah, and I learned that the people of those times were the most testosterone-fueled idiotic culture in most of history. Even when a ton of people were killed, they still partied for ages until finally they thought that maybe this monster killing people every night should probably be dealt with. Even the Spartans were more civilized, and they were harsh. Weren't you the one who was more interested in fleeing with our people rather than stick behind and try to find Joselyn's daughter?"

"Joselyn's plan was falling apart anyway, so finding her daughter wasn't going to do anyone any good. Just come to the party with me, and we'll be fine."

"I know you're going to go with or without me, Mags. The only reason I'm agreeing to go is because you won't stop bugging me until I agree."

"If you say so. Or maybe I'm managing to turn you into a party-animal after all."

"Not a chance. Live another few eons, and maybe I'll take it into consideration."

He took a sip of his drink before muttering into his glass, "There's also something being offered."

She turned with a smile. "I knew there was more to just this rave than entertainment."

"You doubted that I took into consideration our safety?"

"Three plus centuries with you Maggie, and I can properly say yes, yes I did. Now what's the offer?"

* * *

"Magnus, consider the other Warlocks-"

"When did you become so talkative?" Magnus complained.

"Magnus, I beg you to reconsider."

"Always frowning, Elias," Magnus muttered. "You may be immortal, but you're not immune to crow's feet."

He tapped Elias's temple and Elias slightly backed away cautiously. Magnus pulled his hand back as though he'd just saw an outfit he didn't like.

" ** _Activate sass-mode,_** " Shu thought to herself.

Elias breathed and steeled himself. "You cannot attend this meeting. No matter what the Shadowhunter is offering. Valentine is getting close. It is far too dangerous for you to leave the lair."

Magnus took a drink of his glass before holding it out. "I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling a little poorly. While I value your counsel, so much red brick makes me feel like a caged animal."

"Is one necklace really worth the risk?"

"This necklace is," Shu declared.

Magnus smiled in success, since Shu was the only person that could possibly get him to change his mind, and if she was on his side, there was no one that could oppose him now.

"This discussion is over. I will meet with Clary Fairchild and the Wayland boy."

He began to walk away before his breathed and snapped his fingers. "Go to the Spiral Labyrinth and tell Tessa that we need more shields. While we're gone have every Warlock maintain the protective wards. We may be prepared to take on Valentine," He took Elias's chin and had him look him in the eye, "but my guests are not."

He then proceeded to pass his glass to Elias. "Drink up."

As Magnus walked away and Shu followed, Elias took up that offer.

* * *

"Three centuries and you still have no sense of style."

"I think you have enough glitter for the both of us, Mags."

"You look like a Shadowhunter. Well, actually, I've met a few that look better than that."

"Excuse me if my idea of fancy party is a shirt, a jacket, and jeans. I'm wearing heels, Maggie, for goodness sake. This is stretching the limits of my fanciness."

"They're two inch wedge high-tops. It's like you're  _trying_  to make me look bad by saying you're my sister."

"Says the guy that I have to explain to everyone is my brother when you're wearing obscene amounts of make up, can't have a single outfit without glitter, your hair has no less than ten tons of hair gel in it, you  _always_  have a glass in your hand, you have no less than ten earrings and six rings on at a time - and what is up with those nails? - and you are the sassiest one in this family when I'm the girl."

"Oh, I'd say you have  _plenty_  of sass. I've taught you well. Could you at  _least_  put on a V-neck?"

"Perv."

"Just trying to help you get a boyfriend."

"That's the whole point of this outfit. I don't  _want_  one. Especially not someone who'd go to a rave that  _you_ approve of."

"Again with your sass levels. I'd say you're well on your way."

"I'll change my shirt only, and this is only because I might draw attention if I don't look like I belong."

"See? I  _am_  looking out for you!"

"Right."

* * *

While they waited for the Shadowhunters, Magnus was checking his hair in the reflection of his glass.

"I think it's fine, hon."

"Says the one who has  _no_  sense of style."

"Magnus! Asushunamir!"

They looked up to find Jace Wayland and Clary Fairchild coming their way. Magnus set his drink down and the two stood to meet them.

"Clary Fairchild," Magnus mused. "You've grown into a beautiful young woman."

"Magnus Bane," She retaliated with a hint of salt. "So you're the one who stole my memories."

"At your mother's request," He pointed out. "She knew the risk."

"And you, Shu. I don't even know what to say to you."

"How about 'Thank you?' I kept the monsters away from you for over a decade, Clary."

"Show me the jewelry, Shadowhunter," Magnus said, extending his hand.

Jace held up his hand and the necklace that Magnus came there for hung from his finger. Magnus smiled and reached for it, but Jace pulled back and Shu put her hand on Magnus's wrist. It obviously wasn't going to be that easy.

" ** _We're here for a peaceful trade, Mags._** "

"Give Clary back her memories, and you get the jewelry," Jace declared.

"I have to confirm its authenticity," He stated.

"Don't worry," Shu said. "You have my word, for whatever it's worth, that he won't be pulling anything."

Clary and Jace shared a glance before Jace sighed and dropped it into Magnus's palm. The Warlock studied it carefully, finding the word "Amor," on the back.

"Amor verus numquam moritur."

"True love cannot die," Shu translated.

Magnus sighed. "Oh, how I've missed this jewel."

"Now it's your turn to pay up," Clary stated.

Magnus gave a slightly concerned look. "I wish I could retrieve your memories, but I no longer have them."

"What? Where are they?"

Magnus looked to the side. "I fed them to a memory demon for safekeeping."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Jace demanded.

"To protect Clary and the cup," He said matter-of-factly.

"If Valentine ever captured us, he could torture Clary's memories out of us, just like he tortured Dot," Shu explained.

"Tortured?" Clary asked quickly. "Wait, is Dot okay?"

"You don't know?" Magnus asked, concern taking over his face. "Dot is dead."

Clary froze. "What?" She shook her head in disbelief. "How do you know?"

"I spent years with Dot," Shu explained. "Even if she were low on magic and across the globe, I'd still know her…scent, if you know what I mean. Everyone with magic has got a scent, every person, no matter what type of creature, from Warlocks to Shadowhunters. I know Dot well, and I can't feel her magic anymore."

"Valentine killed her because she would not betray your mother," Magnus continued.

She shook her head in shock. "Oh my God…"

"Come with me, Clary," He offered. "My lair could offer you protection no Shadowhunter ever could."

Jace scoffed.

"No!" Clary declared. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Don't be a fool. Your mother would want you to live."

"Then help me get my memories back from whatever demon you gave them too."

"Valentine is hunting you, too," Shu said. "And every moment we're outside our lair's protection is a moment Valentine gets closer to finding us."

Magnus's hands flashed with magic and he opened a portal behind him, holding his hand out. "Come with us."

Clary looked to Magnus, to Shu, and then to Jace, who shook his head no.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "I won't offer again," He said.

Clary looked to his outstretched hand. "No. No I won't hide from my problems and neither should you."

"We aren't just saving our own hide," Shu snapped. "We're saving our entire species, all of our kind, including men, women, and  _children_  who shouldn't have to be dragged into this."

"Look out!" Someone shouted.

An arrow whizzed past Shu's head, but she didn't flinch even as her hair got caught in the wake of the arrow and it pierced a man in the chest behind her. Everyone looked around in surprise, Jace had his seraph blade drawn, and Shu glanced up to see a black-haired Shadowhunter in a denim shirt holding a bow.

He walked down the stairs and to the man he'd shot, and once Magnus saw him, he started staring.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks a regular t-shirt was appropriate for this event," Shu muttered.

"Who are you?" Magnus muttered.

The guy flipped a small seraph-blade dagger in his palm.

"Mag, we need to move," Shu said, dragging him towards the portal.

"Magnus, wait!" Clary shouted, grabbing his arm. "You're my only hope."

"Valentine found us," Magnus declared, looking around cautiously. "I warned your mother this might happen."

Shu pulled Magnus through the portal, and Clary reached out, only to grab a single button from his jacket before he was gone.

* * *

"She took one of your buttons," Shu pointed out.

"I'm blocking it now."

"They have a parabatai bond between the archer and the Wayland boy. No doubt they're going to be here soon."

Magnus sighed. "Help me block it, then."

Then, they heard the screaming.

"Oh, gods, they found us already!" Shu shouted.

She and Magnus ran out of the room they'd teleported into to find Warlocks and Shadowhunters fighting, most of the Warlocks around them dead.

"Bastards!" Shu shouted.

She ran up and punched the nearest Circle member in the face hard enough to smash his skull, blasting two more that tried to charge her with a wave of magic powerful enough to throw them through the wall.

Magnus threw his own magic at the attackers, using it to pick up objects and throw them since he didn't have the physical strength of Shu. He blasted back four of them, while Shu was at his back blasting another five that had tried to surround them.

As another wave came into the room, Shu took out her Stele and drew some runes onto her forearm. Magnus let his eyes change and his magic flare to life, blue wisps dancing across both palms, while Shu did the same behind him, only her magic was flaring much stronger in her rage.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

And together they threw their spells.

* * *

Magnus attempted to throw a bookshelf at another approaching attacker, but he backed out of the way and let it fall past.

Magnus and Shu backed up as he held out his seraph blade. "Your magic's strong, Warlocks. Much stronger than that horned weakling I killed this morning."

"Elias…?" Shu asked.

Magnus threw a blast of energy at the attacker as they walked in a circle, but the Circle member ducked under it and nodded. "That was his name. Well, lucky for us, he sold you out, before I took his Warlock mark."

He moved to swing his sword towards them, but Shu sent a wave of energy out to toss him back. He kept on his feet and the dance continued.

"Cat's eyes," The Circle member muttered. "Be a nice addition to my collection. And I wonder what you have, girl."

Shu held up a fist and let her eyes shine with a purple and red glow, a brand flaring to life, hovering just above her gloved hand.

"Let me give you a demonstration, first hand!"

An arrow suddenly went flying past at the Circle member, shooting him in the leg, and both Magnus and Shu waved their hands as they flared with energy, all the colors, purple, red, and blue, surrounding the man as he was blasted back into the wall.

She let her eyes, Warlock mark, and magic die away. "Why'd we leave that bastard alive long enough to talk again?" She muttered.

"Well done," Someone said behind them.

"More like medium-rare," Magnus quipped.

He let his eyes and magic fade before turning to see the archer Shadowhunter, and suddenly his eyes lit up again, though not with his Warlock mark cat eyes.

"I'm Magnus," He said, sauntering forward as though he hadn't just been fighting for his life with his fellow Warlocks slaughtered around him. "I don't think we've been formally introduced."

"Alec," He said, a smile forming across his face.

Magnus smiled back gently, not his usual cocky smirk. Shu rolled her eyes and smiled, walking past the two of them to check down the hall.

"Oh, uh…we should really…you know, probably get…" Alec stuttered.

"Right," Magnus said. "We should join the party."

"Right…"

"Let's move it, ladies," Shu called.

Alec snapped to attention and put on his serious face again, hurrying down the hall. Magnus turned to the fallen Warlocks, Shadowhunters, and trashed room behind him.

"This fight's far from over."

"Come on, Mags," Shu called, and he turned to follow the two of them.

* * *

"Magnus, Shu," Clary called as she walked into the room with a young girl.

"Zoe!" Shu quickly hugged her in relief, and even Magnus gave her an embrace afterword.

"Go join the others, my dear," He said. "This is no place for a little girl. Go."

She nodded and joined the other surviving Warlocks that they'd rounded up.

"I heard what you did for Zoe," Magnus said. "You risked your life without hesitation to save a young Warlock child."

"She was just a girl," Clary explained. "And she was in trouble. I had no choice."

"You  _always_  have a choice," Shu corrected.

"You're not like the others, Clary Fairchild," Magnus stated. "Most Shadowhunters protect Downworlders out of sense of duty, but you saved young Zoe because of what was inside your heart. You're more like your mother than you will ever know."

"Magnus, Shu, please…You can't hide from this battle. Look, Valentine, he found you once, he  _will_  find you again. We need to work together. Help me."

"We tried to stay out of this battle for them, Clary," Shu said. "We aren't just running and hiding because we're cowards, because we don't care who wins and who loses. We don't want to get the innocents involved. If one Warlock stands against Valentine, he'll take it as  _all_  Warlocks are standing against him, and he will not hesitate to wipe out every one of us. You saw what happened today. Magnus and I can fight the Circle members, but the other Warlocks can't. Children like Zoe shouldn't have to be brought into a fight because of us."

"We're not asking you to start a full-scale war. I'm just asking for one favor, and then you can back out, protect your people however you want."

"I can summon the demon, but you must make the demand," Magnus proposed. "Now, I warn you, retrieving your memories will not be easy."

She scoffed. "I will do what I have to do."

"All right."

"But we're not safe here," Shu said. "The lair's location has been compromised. Hold tight everyone. We're about to move."

Magnus and Shu together held their hands out, their magic flaring in their palms. The each clashed their hands together and sent out a shockwave of power across the room. They waved their hands and then flared their magic upwards, everything going white.

* * *

Magnus sighed as he looked through the windows of the newly fixed up and transported lair. "Ah, much better."

He turned and then frowned. "Ugh, it's inevitable."

"What?" Clary asked.

"After each move he gets the itch to redecorate," Shu explained.

"Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this one is just sloppy," Magnus agreed.

He gave Alec a look, and Alec looked slightly unsettled.

"Same old Mags," Shu muttered.

Alec walked to the side, most likely trying to get out of Magnus's look and avoid having everyone see his own, while Magnus just gave that smirk he got when someone was 'Playing hard to get' and he was willing to take that challenge.

He then looked to Izzy, Alec's sister, and his face turned slightly more humble. "I believe in payment for services rendered." He held up the pendant that he had just recovered. "Thank you for defending the Warlocks."

"I couldn't," Izzy said.

"Oh, but you could. And you should."

He walked behind her, opening the clasp. "The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years." He put the necklace around her neck and clipped the clasp together. "Besides, this would look silly on your brother."

She chuckled and Magnus looked over to Alec, who was talking with Jace. Alec saw him staring and quickly turned back to his parabatai.

"About Alec," Magnus said to Izzy. "Is he more of a flower, or cologne man?"

Now Izzy flat out smiled widely as she chuckled, and Shu shook her head but couldn't help letting her own smile slip.

"Okay, so how do we summon the memory demon?" Clary asked.

Shu looked up to her. "Are you certain? Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."

"I'll do anything to save my mother," She declared. "Where is the demon?"

Magnus stared at her before nodding. "Okay. Pretty boy, get your team ready."

Jace stepped forward. "You know what to do."

"I'm  _not_  talking to you," Magnus said, pushing Jace back.

" ** _Sass-mode returns,_** " Shu thought to herself.

"I'm talking to  _you_ ," Magnus finished, pointing firmly to Alec.

Jace looked to Alec, and he shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head innocently like 'I don't know what he's talking about, he's crazy.'

"Come with us," Shu said, Magnus and her walking out of the room and motioning for Clary to follow.

"Everyone wants to Mortal Cup," Magnus said as they walked out of the room with Clary in tow. "Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."

"Then why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't," He said bluntly. "Only trust yourself."

Shu passed her what looked to be a leather bag at first sight, but when Clary opened it, it was revealed to be a sort of book filled with chalks.

"These chalks are beautiful," She said. "What are they for?"

"If a person wants their memories returned, they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon," Shu explained, unrolling a scroll with an image of the pentagram on it.

"We can walk you through it, if you'd like," Magnus offered.

"I've got this," Clary said with a small smile.

"She's a natural artist," Shu said.

"Shadowhunter," Magnus called, waving Jace into the room. "Prepare Clary as best you can."

Magnus and Shu walked out and closed the doors a little before they heard Clary screaming from the rune being seared onto her.

* * *

When the group walked into the room, Clary had made a perfect pentagram out of the chalks and was making the final touches.

"Joselyn and Shu were right," Magnus admired. "Your artistry is beyond compare."

"I don't know about that," She said, standing.

"Oh, the only other person I've know who could draw as well was Michelangelo, who was excellent in bed, I might add."

Isabelle chuckled as Magnus looked over to Alec for a reaction. Jace looked to Alec in confusion and Alec gave another shrug of innocent confusion.

Shu elbowed Magnus in the side hard. He was always talking about knowing people that he hadn't actually been alive to know. He was old, but he wasn't  _that_  old.

Magnus walked around the art on the floor, rolling up his sleeves. "Okay. We're ready. Everyone take your rightful place on the pentagram."

"There are five spaces and six of us," Jace pointed out.

"I don't need to stand on the pentagram," Shu explained. "I can see and talk to the demon from out here just fine. Besides, I'm there to keep things in control if hell breaks lose, quite literally."

Each of the others took a place at the points of the pentagram.

"We must initiate a bond," Magnus declared. "Once this bond is sealed, it cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, we must not let go of each other's hands."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement, before Magnus reached his hand out to Alec, who Magnus just so happened to be next to on their circle around the pentagram. Izzy gave a look of knowing, keeping a straight face, but her eyes darted between the two of them.

Alec looked to Magnus's hand for a moment, before reaching out and taking it. A jolt of power was sent through him, causing him to visibly flinch. He hesitated for a moment, as if forgetting what he was supposed to be doing with all the eyes on him, before reaching out and taking Jace's outstretched hand, the jolt being sent through him as well, although slightly less potent, as the energy was being spread through more people.

Alec's eyes seemed to dart around, and Izzy looked at him curiously, seeing how he was now holding hands with Jace and Magnus, two people that were obviously making him uncomfortable.

Jace took Clary's hand, and the surge went through her, the reaction as big as Alec's since she was unprepared for what it would feel like, and the she reached out to Izzy, who smiled.

"You people are pathetic."

Magnus gave her a skeptical smile while Jace and Alec looked more annoyed.

She took Clary's hand and the jolt easily, before grabbing Magnus's other hand and completing the circle.

"I will lead the ceremony," Magnus said. "You all must do  _exactly_  as I say. The demon's name is Valak Mataecharonsan, and at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Clary's memories."

"What do you mean?" Jace asked. "What kind of payment?"

"We will see," Shu said.

"Let us begin," Magnus said.

He began speaking a spell in Chthonian.

Izzy looked down as the necklace Magnus gave her began glowing and humming. "The neckless. It's pulsing."

"Do not break the circle," Shu reminded them. "Whatever happens. You're fine, Izzy. It won't hurt you."

A scream rang out and dark smoke began swirling into a tornado within the circle they made with their hands. The winds were forcing them back, threatening to break their hand locks, and the sweat from stress wasn't helping either.

" ** _I have heard your summon and came,_** " A male voice called out from the dark clouds. " ** _What is it that you seek from me?!_** "

" ** _We once gave you the memories of Clary Fairchild for safekeeping, and now we wish to retrieve them again,_** " Magnus told it.

" ** _Memories to find the Mortal Cup?_** ** _I refuse! Nothing you could offer me would allow me to risk such a thing._** "

" ** _Please, we need them to find the Mortal Cup before someone who will use it wrongly claims it instead._** "

The winds didn't die down, but the dark clouds clumped together to form a shape resembling a man.

" _I have lived a slave to the Mortal Cup before, I will_ not _be one again!_ " The voice hissed aloud.

"We're doing this so that we can keep the cup from Valentine!" Clary shouted over the winds.

The demon turned on her.

" _Like I haven't heard such a claim before. You listen to me,_ Clary Fairchild _, I have seen people like you before. You all believe that if I give you the power of such important memories that you can protect what lies within them, but your kind has never held up to that promise, not_  once _in all of history_. _Let me be blunt: you and your little gang of_ Shadowhunters _, aren't enough to protect the cup if you found it. I shall not allow you these memories, I shall not allow this cup to be found under_ any _circumstances._ "

"If you don't trust them with them, trust me!" Shu called. "Give the memories to me, and I shall do with them what I see fit! I will not allow that cup to fall into enemy hands, I will not allow someone to utilize it! And should I fail to keep that promise, I shall get the cup back under any circumstance! Should I die before this is accomplished or fall victim myself, you shall take what I hold dearest to my heart!"

The demon hesitated at the offer, staring to the woman outside of the pentagram. Then, the body of dark clouds spun once more and returned into a tornado of demonic energy.

"It is time!" Magnus called. "The demon demands payment!"

"What does it want?!" Alec called.

"We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most!"

Izzy tense, throwing her head back as a memory flew out of her chest and into the dark whirlwind. For a moment, the image showed Alec, before it faded into the swirls of darkness. Clary gasped as the same thing happened to her, only it showed her mother in the image before it was taken. Magnus was next, this time with an image of Shu.

"Aw, I'm flattered, darling!" She called.

"Don't get cocky," Magnus muttered with half a smile. "It wasn't exactly my choice."

"Oh, how cruel, Maggie!"

Alec was up next, and his image was that of Jace.

Alec looked panicked. "No, it's not true! The demon deceived me!"

"Do  _not_  break the bond!" Magnus shouted.

"Alec, it's okay!" Izzy called.

"Don't tell him that!" Shu muttered. "Great, and now-"

"No!"

Alec pulled away, breaking the circle, the dark mist within the tornado began to expand, throwing all of them back now that the circle was broken and the demon was free.

"Alec!" Jace called, but it was too late.

"No!" Magnus shouted.

"Shit!"

Shu and Magnus each put their hands out, their magic energy glowing in their hands, barely keeping the demon contained within the room. Alec surged forward to stop it, but Jace jumped up and pushed him out of the way before he was grabbed. Izzy quickly took his arm and kept him from getting sucked in, and Alec grabbed his other arm as they both tried to pull him free.

"The demon is growing stronger!" Magnus called.

"He's slipping!" Alec shouted.

The dark energy swirling around the room grew more and more powerful, the dark smoke expanding and the red-eyed demon within more and more visible.

"Clary, help us!" Izzy called.

Clary ran into the other room and grabbed a seraph blade.

"Clary, if you kill the demon, your memories will be lost forever!" Magnus warned.

Clary looked to the blade in her hand and her new friends that were struggling to save Jace. She then marched forward and walked into the tornado of darkness.

"Don't!" Shu shouted.

She stopped her containment of the demon, grabbing Clary's wrist with her sword and Jace's wrist before giving them both one strong tug and throwing them back. She then waved her hands at the demon from point-blank and sent a blast at it, teleporting it through a portal where all of the wind and clouds were sucked up.

Magnus fell back and to his knees, breathing heavily, while Jace was collapsed on the ground.

"Jace," Clary muttered, moving to kneel next to him. "Oh my god, Jace."

"Jace," Alec urged. "Get up."

"Is he gonna be all right?" Izzy asked.

Magnus, who had stood and walked over while fixing his sleeves, looked at Jace. " _I_  don't know," He responded bluntly. "Does he normally just lay like that without moving?"

Shu elbowed him in the gut again and Magnus winced. "Yeesh, would you quit that?"

"Get up. Jace?"

"Jace!"

"I have a solution," Shu said.

She kneeled down next to him and whacked him on the back. He suddenly gasped, taking deep breaths and surging up, coughing and holding his side. He looked around to see the demon gone, wincing as he moved.

"I'm all right," He assured them. "I'm all right. I'm all right. I'm just getting my second wind."

Alec slipped out of the room and Magnus took notice, slipping out after him.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Alec," Magnus said to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He declared.

"You will."

Magnus then walked past him and into the other room. Shu quickly hurried to follow, as Izzy stood and walked over to her brother. Alec turned and walked away before anything more could be said, and Izzy looked down in guilt.

* * *

"Why did you save it?" Izzy asked.

"Hm?" Shu asked.

"You stopped Clary from stabbing it. You banished the demon, but you didn't kill it."

"Sympathy. Demons, unlike what you may or may not think, aren't mindless. The Forsaken are mindless. Demons have reasons for doing what they do. They're not good reasons, but they're understandable ones. If killing, deceiving, and stealing is what they must do to survive, they will do it. If you Shadowhunters hunt them, they will try and eliminate you so that they can live. It's a natural cycle of life, and it's sad, but it's the way it is. I just have a heart big enough to sympathize here and there. Charon did nothing wrong, he just wanted to get out of the confinement of the pentagram. That's like putting a collar on someone and expecting them to do tricks like a pet. Seems like regular old routine, but that's only because you don't trust them, so they don't trust you, and the cycle goes on."

"Charon?"

"Valak Mataecharonsan. I call him Charon. One of the Greater Demons. I know him."

"You're just, what? BFFs with a demon?"

"No. I just don't have a lot of enemies. I stay out of people's way, they stay out of mine. Demons don't hate me, but they also don't love me. Same with you Shadowhunters. I'm only known as Magnus's sister, nothing more, nothing less. I let him have the notoriety while I tag along. And if a demon isn't causing any harm, I settle things peacefully, without violence."

"You seemed like a pretty violent person against the Circle members that broke in."

"They slaughtered my kind, my friends and family. All those innocents that had nothing to do with all of this. Magnus and I were the ones to help Joselyn.  _We_  were the ones that chose to get dragged into this…this  _war_ , this constant hunt for the Mortal Cup. It's our burden to bear, and all of those other Warlocks should've never had to pay for it."

"You have a good heart. Not a lot of people are willing to see past a demon's…demon-ness."

"He won't do any harm to anyone, but I doubt he's ever going to give Clary her memories back. They're gone for good."

"At least he's gone without anyone getting hurt."

"Mm-hm."

* * *

A man woke up in a dark alley. He looked to his hands, his legs, his body.

How long had it been since he had the luxury of a stable solid form?

Standing, he leaned against the wall to try and adjust to having legs again. He tested his powers and felt the wisps of darkness still flowing within him, ready to be let out any time he wanted to release them. He sensed the memories. All the delicious memories of people, good and bad.

How long had it been since he'd been able to feast so easily?

Heading out of the alley and into the light, he was temporarily blinded by the sun. That might take some adjusting to.

He sensed all the food in this world, food like he'd never seen before.

He was so hungry.

He would feast well today.


	3. Cracking Through

" _Hello, who is this?_ "

"Alexander! Hi," Magnus said happily when he picked up. "It's Magnus. We met the other day, you know, with the demon."

" _Uh, yeah. Yeah…hey, what's up?_ "

"I was just thinking it was really nice getting to know you. You seem…sympathetic. Would you like to go out for a drink sometime?"

There was a moment of hesitation. " _That sounds fun, um…when?_ "

"How about right now?"

" _Um…you know now's not really a good time for me. Another time. Gotta go._ "

With that, he hung up. Magnus gave his phone that look. "Playing hard to get. I love a challenge."

"Alexander Lightwood is a serious piece of work," Shu warned. "He's all for the rules, mostly because he's got the Institute on his shoulders. You sure Shadowhunters are the best people to get involved with?"

"I think I can crack through him. I've got a  _little_  experience with hard cases. Besides, you and I know Shadowhunters fairly well, you most of all."

"Yeah, and I know his mother is even worse."

"No worse than our 'father,'" He said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Believe me, she rivals him."

"Looks like we have a common problem then."

"Go after him if you want. I'll be behind you if you can manage to convince him."

* * *

"What happened?" Magnus demanded.

"He was attacked!" Simon said.

"He needs a Warlock," Clary explained. "He needs you."

Shu laid a cloth over one of the couches to cover it. "Put him here."

Clary and Simon were carrying Luke, moving to place him on the couch.

"Where are you?" Luke muttered. "I can't find you. Where are…where are you? Where are you? Joselyn. Joselyn!"

"No, Luke, it's Clary," She said, placing his hand on her cheek. "Can you hear me?"

"Clary, listen to me. Listen…you have to listen to me. I have to tell you, just in case-"

"No, don't even say it, don't-"

"No, listen to me."

"Luke-"

"No, you need to know. Listen-"

"Was he bitten by an Alpha?" Shu asked.

"Yeah," Simon said. "Why?"

"Three, two, one…" Magnus counted.

Luke tensed up, his eyes glowing green as he began thrashing around in pain. Magnus quickly hurried over to the next room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Simon called.

"Hold him down," He responded.

When he came back, he was carrying what looked to be a piece of bark and a bowl. He stuck the bark between Luke's teeth as she thrashed and grunted in pain.

"It'll take a few moments to take effect," Magnus explained.

"What happened to him?" Clary asked.

"Random Werewolf transformation," Shu explained. "It's a side effect of the poison in an Alpha bite."

Luke slowly began to calm, his thrashing slowing to a stop and his screams dying down to heavy breaths.

"Let's patch up those wounds," Shu said, walking out of the room. "Maggie, where did you move the medical supplies?"

Magnus followed her and they returned with a first-aid kit. When Shu opened it, however, the items inside began to flow out on their own, assessing Luke's wounds before the cloths began to wipe away the blood, the medicine began to clean them, and then the bandages sealed themselves on.

"That should hold him over for now," She said. "Clary, Simon, you two watch over him while we attend to some other preparations."

With that, the two of them rushed out of the room again and into another room, messing with ingredients and mixing bowls. Clary was sitting over Luke while Simon was watching over her, trying to comfort her as she realized that she had doubted his loyalties.

"The bark will stop the transformation for now, but Luke needs an antidote to stop the poison in his system," Magnus explained as the two of them walked into the room and set some equipment on the table. "And I don't have all the ingredients here."

"Just tell me what you need and how to get it," Clary offered.

"No, you stay here," Shu said, her and Magnus running out to the balcony. "Luke will need you if he wakes up."

" _When_  he wakes up," Clary corrected.

"I'll go," Simon offered.

"I'll go," Jace said as he walked into the room.

Magnus walked over and saw that Jace looked a bit bruised and was bleeding slightly under his nose. " _Jace_. What happened to  _you?_ "

He poked Jace chin and made him turn his head to examine it. Jace gave a face and Magnus walked away. Wasn't like he was interested in healing him anyway.

"Luke's car may have found it's way into a pole while I was stashing it." Clary gave him a 'Seriously?' look. "I don't to mundane driving," He declared, reaching for a bandage to wipe it away.

"Yeah, apparently," Simon said with a grain of salt, putting his hand on Clary's shoulder.

"What do you need for the antidote?"

"Hey, I got this," Simon said, stepping forward.

"Phoenix eyes, moon salt, and Idris fulgurite," Magnus said.

"One trip to the pharmacy, it'll take two seconds."

He moved to walk past Jace, but he held him back. "I know a guy. And uh…I don't need him." He shoved Simon's arm away.

"Too bad, you're getting me," Simon declared. "We'll be right back."

"One more thing," Magnus called. "I need Alexander."

"Uh, why do you need Alec?" Jace asked.

"Virgin Shadowhunter energy," Shu said quickly. "It's…very potent."

Magnus pointed to her and nodded in confirmation like 'Yes, that's  _totally_  true! What she said!'

Simon scoffed. "That explains so much."

Jace cleared his throat. "Um, Alec, I uh…I can't."

"Jace, just ask, please," Clary begged, walking up to him. "You guys need to talk."

He looked to her and sighed.

"Trouble in paradise?" Magnus asked.

Jace rolled his eyes and grabbed Simon by the shirt, walking off. "Just don't speak to me," He ordered.

Clary sighed.

"Right, let's get to work, Maggie," Shu called.

* * *

"What's all this for?" Clary asked, looking at the funky ingredients on the table that Magnus and Shu were working at.

"The base for the potion," Magnus explained, pouring one liquid into another to have it start glowing.

"Stir," Shu ordered as Magnus poured the glowing piqued into the small cauldron he was mixing things into.

"We need to have it ready before your boy-toys gets back."

"What if they  _don't_  get back?"

"You…can't think like that, biscuit," Magnus said as the two of them rushed around the room.

"That's  _all_  I can think about."

She sighed and put her hands on the table. "Magnus, Shu, I don't know if I can do this anymore. I'm an art student. All my adventures are supposed to be two-dimensional."

"Who says?" Magnus asked from the balcony, cutting some herbs from one of his plants.

"Me. Look, it is one thing to  _draw_  monsters and demons, but it is completely different to…see them up close and personal."

Shu rushed inside and began stirring again, as Clary had neglected the brew, and Magnus rushed in to set his herbs down and continue working, Clary pestering him from the side.

"I don't know what I'm doing."

"Don't sell yourself short, hon," Shu said. "You forget, we've seen you in action, Clary Fairchild."

"Joselyn!" Luke called in his sleep. "No! Don't…don't…wait, don't…don't touch her."

"Luke, I'm here!" Clary called, rushing over.

Magnus pushed past. "Let me take your pain away."

"No, no…"

"Agitation only makes the venom work faster," Shu explained.

"I need to tell Clary…"

"Save your strength," She ordered.

"No, you need to know. No, please."

"Magnus, do it."

He grunted in pain. "You need to tell her, all of it. P-Promise me!"

Shu hesitated and gave a small nod before she snapped and Luke tensed. The two of them swept their magic across Luke's body as he gripped the couch beneath him and grunted in pain, barely resisting screaming.

"The poison is spreading," Magnus reported. "Your suitors need to hurry."

* * *

"Tell me what?" Clary asked. "What's so important that Luke risked his life?"

"Everything Joselyn hoped to hide from you," Shu said.

Magnus snapped and pad with paper appeared on the table. Clary walked over and opened it to reveal blank pages and a pen.

"Why…?" She asked.

Magnus sighed. "When you were younger, we'd watch you sketching. It was your bliss. You're gonna need some bliss now."

"Back then, there wasn't a day I didn't draw. It was like breathing. Now, I-I look at this blank page, and I barely even know what to do. Some times I feel like…my art, my  _memories_ …my  _life_ , it…it all vanished with that Memory Demon."

"Your art, everything you are, they're all still here," Shu said. "You're the woman your mother always knew you could be."

"But tried to keep me from being."

"That's why you need to know how you got here," Magnus said.

"Will it help me find my mother?"

"That's the only reason I can think of why Luke would be so adamant."

"I'm ready. Bring it, Warlock."

* * *

"When I first heard about your father, around the time he and Joselyn first got together, long before the Uprising, and the Circle, Valentine elevated the Morgenstern name to be synonymous with virtue."

"And your mother was at his side," Shu continued. "But by the time our people came to know him, barely two years later, his name had become synonymous with devastation. Your mother told us it was then she first saw the signs. He hated the Accords, hated us Downworlders for being part demon. He slaughtered a good deal of Warlocks without provocation."

"They never found all the bodies," Magnus said. "We'd all stood with the Clave for centuries."

Clary looked up from shading her drawing. "How could that not matter to him?"

"He was obsessed with ensuring purity of blood. Convinced that the impurities were a threat to peace."

" _He_  was the threat to peace."

"Mad men rarely make sense. Mostly they just hate. And he  _hated_  the Downworlders, for the gifts that we possess that he could not have."

"He hated us enough to kill us all," Shu finished.

* * *

Magnus and Shu stared at Clary's drawing of a horned Warlock being stabbed.

"Ever since my mother was kidnapped, and the Shadow World invaded my life,  _so many_  Downworlders have helped me, not even…thinking about what it might cost them. How could Valentine not see good in  _any_  of them?"

"We were thinking about what might it might cost us if we  _didn't_  help you, Clary," Shu said. "We're treated like second or even third class citizens compared to the Shadowhunters. In turn, we become bitter because of the unfair treatment. We're powerful, and the people fear what happens when something more powerful than you gets dominant. So they put us down, and we get angry because of it, and so they consider us uncivilized and dangerous because of that. Next thing you know, we're considered heathens, and people like Valentine want us all gone."

"So they make you miserable and then blame you for being angry?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it sucks. Valentine was blinded by his ambition, wasn't willing to see the good in us, though it wasn't like he was the only one. He was just the one that decided to take action."

"Why didn't the Clave stop him?" She demanded.

Magnus sighed and shook his head. "He was clever. He and his followers, they managed to convince the Clave that the Downworlders they killed on their special missions had… _violated_  the Accords in some way. Complete fabrications!"

Clary sighed. "How could the Clave not see?"

"Shadowhunters believe in the Law as absolute. They could never  _conceive_  of one of their own going astray."

Clary laughed humorlessly. "My father didn't go astray, Magnus. He went insane."

"What happened back then is happening again," Shu said. "The Clave refuses to believe that Valentine's a threat. 19 years ago, their lack of vision allowed the Circle to almost decimate the  _entire Shadow World_."

"That was the Uprising?"

"Yes. Valentine wanted to create a  _new_  Shadowhunter army. And for that, he needed to Mortal Cup. He knew it would be on display at the signing of the Accords, as a show of the Clave's power. He seized the opportunity to accomplish everything he ever wanted. Destroy the Accords, murder Downworlders, and secure the cup."

"How could my mom and Luke be a part of something like this?"

"Joselyn, Luke, and I tried to stop the Uprising," Shu said. "I wasn't a part of the Circle, obviously, but I infiltrated the Shadowhunters and posed as one of them to try and stop Valentine, meeting your mother and Luke in the process. Joselyn and Luke tried to change Valentine's mind about Downworlders."

"Obviously they didn't."

"Clary, if it wasn't for your mother and Luke, the Circle would've won. Luke tried fighting Valentine with fists, and lost, but Joselyn and I fought him with blades and magic and managed to knock him down long enough to grab the cup and run."

"Ever since I found out Valentine was my father, I wondered how my mother could be married to someone like that…and why she stayed. She had to stop him."

"And safeguard the cup. Everything Joselyn did, she did to save the people she'd sworn to protect. She took her oath as a Shadowhunter seriously."

"I understand, but how does that help me find the cup?"

"Maybe Luke thinks if you know your mother better, you'll know where she hid it," Magnus suggested.

"Then, tell me why she gave up being a Shadowhunter?"

Magnus kneeled down to her. "Because the one thing in the world she loved more is you. She had to protect you."

She sighed and looked down. "From my father, the lunatic."

Magnus looked down but didn't deny it, but the moment was interrupted by Luke, who grunted in pain. Clary set her notepad aside and hurried over to him. "Luke. Luke?"

"The magic's wearing off," Magnus muttered.

"It was our fault," Luke muttered.

He spasmed in pain and began to grunt in pain, biting back his screams. Clary looked to one of his bandages and gasped as she pulled it back to see the wound. "It's worse."

Magnus and Shu held their hands out and tried to calm him with magic once more. "We can't do this forever," Shu warned. "The more we do this, the less potent the spells are going to be. Ugh, I should've gone with the boys for the things. What is taking so long?"

The room began rumbling as the amount of magic needed to contain Luke was rising.

Magnus grunted. "I'm running out of magic!"

"What do I do?" Clary asked.

"We can't leave him, but the potion stock still needs Kimono scale. Find it, add the rest when they get here. You'll have to feed it to Luke."

"What about you?"

"We'll hold on as long as we can!" Shu shouted. "Just go!"

Clary ran out of the room, but Magnus was beginning to wobble in exhaustion.

"Mags? Maggie! Magnus stay with me! Magnus!"

He began to fall back, but with her hands focusing on keeping Luke stable with Magnus's help decreasing, she couldn't reach across to catch him. Luckily, Alec suddenly ran in, saw what was happening, and hurried over to catch Magnus before he ate the carpet, or possibly the table.

"Help me…" Magnus panted, holding up his hand. "I need your strength."

Alec looked to his face and his hand, before offering his own. "Take what you need."

Magnus put his hand in Alec's and managed a smile before he began to take Alec's energy and use it to help fuel the containment spell. As Alec wasn't born a magic user yet was still part angel, he had a moderate amount of reserves, more than enough to help Magnus with the spell.

Jace and Simon ran in with the ingredients, and Clary worked quickly to mix them in and then pour it into a cup. She then rushed over to Luke and poured the brew carefully into his mouth. He managed to drink and swallow it, and instantly, his condition improved, the spell needed to keep his transformation in check dying down as it was no longer needed.

"Hey…Clary," He said, opening his eyes and smiling.

Magnus then took the opportunity to collapse against Alec.

" _Smooth,_ " Shu muttered, panting, before she reached over and grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took a sip. "This is disgusting, Mags," She commented before taking another swig.

"You okay?" Alec asked.

Magnus nodded weakly. "Yeah."

* * *

"He started injecting himself with Downworlder blood…" Luke was saying in the other room.

"As if that would ever work," Shu muttered. "Shadowhunter and demonic blood do  _not_  go well together. The only possible way that could work is if the person was conceived of the two species naturally."

"I'll take your word for it, considering you're-"

"Hey, Magnus do you need any…?"

Alec stopped when he saw Magnus wasn't alone.

"-eavesdropping," Magnus finished.

"I have to go," Shu said. "But, uh…Alec, could you stay and watch over Mags? I don't want him collapsing from all the magic he used today. Great, thanks."

She slipped out of the room and mouthed 'Good luck, bro,' before she disappeared.

* * *

Alec was working to clean the blood Luke spilled past the cloth off Magnus's couch while Magnus made some drinks, because this was Magnus we were talking about.

He looked back and saw what Alec was doing. "You know I have magic for that, right? Even Shu could do it, since she  _is_  living with me."

"I think you've exerted yourself enough for one day."

"Drink break?"

Alec looked to him for a moment before letting out a small laugh and standing, walking over and accepting the drink. Magnus snapped his fingers and the liquid was set alight with his blue magic.

"To us."

Alec clinked his glass against Magnus's before taking a drink, cringing at the taste and barely forcing it down.

" ** _Finally, a guy that doesn't drink,_** " Shu thought to herself.

"Why did you ask for me…when Jace and Clary were both here?" Alec asked.

"Jace didn't tell you?" Magnus asked in surprise.

Alec shook his head and Magnus took a deep breath in relief, turning away. "Doesn't matter. It was a lie anyway."

He took a few steps away, hiding the nervousness on his face at Alec realizing the truth.

" _ **Aw, he's nervous.**_ "

"Are Warlocks always this cryptic?"

Magnus chuckled. "I'm not being  _cryptic_." He paused and took on a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm being coy."

Shu was glad she was eavesdropping from another room and not right in the hallway since she would've just blown her cover at how hard she was laughing.

Magnus turned back to Alec, who was still clueless, and sighed. "Let me spell it out for you. I wanted to see you again."

Alec looked extremely nervous. Even when being the master of not taking a hint, he  _had_  to have understood  _that_ , right?

"Why?"

"Why'd you come?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Magnus hesitated. "For almost…a century…I've closed myself off to feeling anything for anyone. Man or woman. You've unlocked something in me."

Alec tried to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Magnus looked down, thinking that he'd probably pushed him too far and Alec was trying to find a way to reject him. Alec continued to try and think of something, and actually looked like he was about to get some words out, before his phone rang.

The moment was broken between them, and each turned away as Alec answered his phone. "Hey. Hi, mother." He listened to the phone for a good deal of time before finally responding. "Of course."

He hung up and Magnus turned back to him. He motioned to his phone as he set his glass down. "Duty calls."

Magnus nodded. "Ah. Oh, the furrowed brow. Maryse must be recruiting you for something…unseemly."

Alec hesitated. "Uh, listen, Magnus, I…I wish…I-I could…I-I just don't know what-"

Magnus put his finger up to his lips. "I understand."

As he moved his hand away to grab Alec's glass, a smile forced it's way across his face.

"Stay for just one more drink?" He offered. "And then decide."

* * *

"Wow, that was surprisingly easier than I'd thought it'd be."

"And now you've jinxed it, Shu," Magnus said.

"Oh, it'll work out. I'm 99% positive Isabelle is already sold on it. Besides, what relationship have you had that  _wasn't_  hard? You'll make it through. Although Maryse might be a problem.  _She's_  the real tough nut to crack in this situation."

"I have no doubt about it."


	4. Where The Cup Lays Hidden

"I know where the cup is," Clary declared.

Magnus closed his book and turned towards her.

"Come again?" Jace asked.

"The tarot cards. My mom, she must have painted them years ago, but the Mortal Cup has to be hidden inside the Ace of Cups. The card looks exactly like it."

Magnus and Jace shared a look.

"Wait, wait, why aren't you guys happy about this? All we have to do is find…Dot."

"If Dot had the cards when she was taken, we don't have much time," Jace said. "If Valentine gets his hands on the cup-"

Magnus surged up to interrupted Jace. "We know. If Valentine started creating Shadowhunters or gained control of demons, it'd be like Beyoncé riding on a dinosaur through Times Square."

"People would notice?" Shu translated. She'd learned to speak Magnus over the years of knowing him, and still it was hard to connect the dots of his metaphors.

"But he  _can_  control demons, I've seen it."

"He wasn't controlling demons," Someone said, walking in.

Jace instantly has his seraph blade out and everyone tensed up. A man with black hair and red eyes came walking in with his hands in his pockets casually. Even with weapons and eyes trained on him, he barely flinched, walking forward to Clary.

"All he was doing was paying off the demons, or making them promises," He said. "Paying off demons is easy, especially since they rarely survive long enough to collect payment."

"Still waiting on Valentine's thank-you card," Shu muttered.

"Demons can go out and do favors, make deals and exchanges, but having their free will taken away is another thing entirely. There are demons willing to follow Valentine to certain doom if they might get something out of it later in life, and sometimes just the fight and death itself is payment enough."

"Excuse me, who are you supposed to be again?" Jace asked.

The man gave Jace a once over. "I'm the one who nearly dragged you into oblivion, Jace Wayland. You were the only one who didn't pay up your memory of your most beloved. I would've been fine with the Alexander Lightwood boy, but you were more convenient. And don't think I haven't forgotten that you tried to stab me, Clary Fairchild."

"Valak," Magnus realized, before looking to Shu accusingly.

"Charon, why did you come back?" She asked instead of facing him.

"Keeping the Fairchild's memory wasn't going to stop her from finding out where the cup was forever. I hold Joselyn's memories of the cup's location as well, so no matter what Valentine does to her body, he couldn't find where she put it from her. But memories are a funny thing. They are like chains, one memory leads to another leads to another. There's no way to take every memory in existence of the past away. Even if humans don't remember something, the air, earth, material objects, time itself, do. I knew it was only a matter of time before you put together the right chain of memories to come to a conclusion, and the Werewolf, Luke, did not help in keeping the memory sealed either. As to you question, I've come because I want to offer assistance in exchange for something."

"We're  _not_  making a deal with a demon," Jace declared. "And we  _don't_  need your help."

Charon rolled his eyes. "And I thought Alexander was the serious one. At the least hear out the proposition. I want to offer my services in exchange for a favor. The moment you get the chance, the moment you get your hands on that cup, destroy it."

"Destroy it?" Clary asked.

"That cup brings nothing but trouble, to both you Nephilim to all of us demons and Downworlders. In the power struggle for it, all that has been wrought is anger and suffering. Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, and just regular old demons - each and every one of us want the cup not only for power, but to make sure that the rest of us aren't controlled. No one wants to be a slave, and whether one wants power or not, they're going to go after that cup to make sure they don't become one. I, myself, don't want to be a slave to that cup again, but as long as it exists, there's no such thing as safety from such a thing. Of course there's also the sword, but that's less important at the moment. You Shadowhunters were the ones who lost it in the first place, and I don't trust you to keep it safe for eternity again. Not with the horrid leadership you have, hating on every soul that doesn't have some angelic blood in them. It's because of you that Valentine is what he is today."

"We don't encourage the  _killing_  of Downworlders," Jace argued.

"No, you keep them alive so that you can look down on them, step on them when they get angry about it. You treat mundanes like uncivilized brainless zombies just because they're in the dark about the Shadow World. Don't even try to deny it. I know your mind, Shadowhunter."

"Charon, don't start picking fights," Shu requested. "What kind of help do you think you have to offer?"

I'm a well-known Greater Demon. At the moment, I can get you into and out of situations involving other demons like me since I have their trust. I can take the memories of any person you need memories from, and I can tell you  _every one_  of someone's dirty little secrets, making interrogations a walk in the park. For whatever it's worth, I can promise you that I'm only doing this to keep that cup out of Valentine's hands. I don't have any use for more Shadowhunters, and see no point in taking control of other demons. All you need to do is get that tarot card, pull the cup out with your little artsie powers, and destroy it. I'll go away peacefully once that has happened, and the world can keep spinning as it does."

"I still don't think  _destroying_  it is necessary," Clary said. "If we can get the cup and protect it, then what's the harm in-?"

"You can't protect it. You've seen how many people are out to get the cup, and the Shadowhunters, can't protect it forever. Even if  _you_  managed to protect it in your generation and pass the duty onto your children, humans are predictable. They won't keep the same honor over generations. More Valentines will be born in the future, and as an immortal, I see a problem in that. Old Razz made that cup for good purposes, but all it ever did was bring conflict and disaster for the power struggle that came with it. The only way to get rid of shadows is to snuff out the light. Destroy the big bad source of power, and no more conflict will come from it. Just give a ring when you need me."

A black cloud swirled up from his feet, engulfing him, and when it dispersed he was gone.

"Do we really wanna trust that guy?" Jace asked.

"He won't do any harm," Shu said. "In the end, what he said was true. He just wants to make sure that he's not subject to the power of the cup being in someone else's hands, mainly Valentine's, just like everyone else. For now, we continue on as normal. Find the cup, and if we ever are  _forced_  to call upon his aid, we will have to make a choice whether to do as he says or not. For now, we owe him nothing."

"But the tarot cards are with Valentine, right?" Clary asked. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Valentine doesn't have the cards," Luke said, walking in. Everyone turned to him curiously. "I do. They're in my desk, back in the precinct. When Clary went missing, I went to the loft and I cleared everything out 'cause I didn't want the Circle to track her."

"That's great," Clary said. "This should be easy."

"That's what General Custer said," Magnus pointed out, sitting in the chair beside him.

"Magnus is right," Shu said. "Valentine has spies everywhere, even in the NYPD."

"We have to be discreet," Luke agreed.

"Discreet?" Clary asked. "You look like something out of The Mummy movie."

Magnus giggled, but when everyone looked his way he gave a 'I didn't do anything' look.

"We'll go in the morning," Luke said. "Werewolf healing, remember? This is nothing a couple hours of beauty sleep can't fix."

"Be careful," Shu warned. "You're just asking for things to go wrong."

* * *

"What's going on?"

Alec and Izzy jumped back as Shu appeared next to them out of thin air.

"I assume things went wrong, but why are you unbuttoning his shirt, Izzy?"

"Alec gets to be a distraction today. We need to get that woman's I.D."

She pointed to a woman at a desk.

"And you seriously think Alec is the kind of guy to be a distraction?" Shu asked in disbelief.

"Well, I don't think I'm her type."

Shu rolled her eyes. "And  _he_  doesn't exactly look her type either. Look, the plan is much simpler than that. Allow me."

She walked over to the desk. "Excuse me, are these free? I'm looking for some information on-"

She knocked a water bottle over as she reached for the brochures beside the desk. The cap had been on, however Shu made it so that the lid was only sitting on top and not screwed on, resulting in near all of the water spilling out onto the desk.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Uh, I think I have some tissues in my bag here, hold on."

The woman began quickly moving folders and notepads out of the way, and Shu flicked the I.D. card sitting on the table. Izzy, who was walking by casually, caught it as she passed, and Shu moved the folder that the I.D. had been sitting on to buy a little time when the guard went looking for it, making her think that it hadn't just vanished into thin air and was probably lost when everything got moved.

"I got it, hon, but thank you," The woman said.

"I'm sorry, again. Thank you."

Taking a couple of the brochures for her cover, she rushed away to join Izzy as she drew a rune on the power box and the entire facility went black.

* * *

"There they are," Shu said, pointing to Jace and Clary exiting the building.

"Did you get it?" Alec asked.

"Theoretically," Clary said.

"Theoretically?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I found the card. I just have to figure out how I reached into my notebook before. It's…it's not an exact science."

"Can't you just pull the cup out?"

"I can. Theoretically. It's just - it's not as easy as it looks, Alec."

"Listen, you two can discuss theories as much as you want once you guys get out of the open, but right now, we just stole from the cops, so I suggest we get going," Jace said.

"Guys," Izzy said, looking down at her necklace as it began to glow. "I think the mundanes might be the least of our worries."

"It's probably just reacting to me," Shu said. "But I wouldn't put it against Valentine's spies to have found us by now. We need to get moving."

"Never a dull day," Jace muttered. "Let's go."

They quickly began to walk off, when Clary bumped into an old woman. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

She kneeled down to grab the purse she'd dropped, when the old woman revealed herself to be one of the shape-shifters, opening it's mouth to attack Clary.

Shu was instantly there, taking the monster by the head to pull it into the purple and red seraph blade she had drawn. It instantly exploded into dust, and she quickly sheathed the blade back in her bag.

"What the hell?" Clary asked, standing.

"Language," Shu said. "Not in front of grandma."

"You used a seraph blade," Alec noticed.

"Yeah. I did. But if that thing found us, it means others are nearby."

She motioned towards a man getting out of one of the police cars. His eyes glowed with the green of a shape-shifter, and he began to walk towards them.

"She brought friends," Jace muttered.

"How can you tell?" Clary asked.

The group began walking off quickly.

"It's like seeing through a glamour. You just gotta pay attention to the details."

"I can't  _see_  anything."

"Behind us," Izzy warned.

Clary turned to look at the man with glowing eyes stalking forward.

"I-I still can't see them."

"What, are you blind, woman?" Shu asked. "Ugh, nevermind."

They stopped as another man in front of them with glowing green eyes took notice of them.

"Okay, there's too many people," Clary muttered.

"I don't say this often, but I agree with Clary," Alec said. "We gotta get out of here."

"Can you open a portal, Shu?"

"Only big enough for one person after what happened with your friend Luke. It wouldn't be able to sustain itself if all of you were to try to jump through, and we need to keep someone with Clary at all times. Throwing her through a portal alone doesn't sound like a smart idea."

"This way."

They hurried down the steps and to a door that had a high voltage warning. "What's the unlock rune again?" Clary asked with her stele out.

Jace kicked the door open.

"Or that," Shu muttered.

"Open sesame."

As they headed inside, Alec summoned his bow and quiver, drawing and nocking an arrow.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jace asked.

"Holding them off," Alec said simply. "Take Clary back to the Institute."

"No, if you're staying, I'm staying. We fight together."

"I'll look after him, Jace," She said. "I can't go to your Shadowhunter Institute. I'm considered a Downworlder, remember? Besides, if the demons get the cup, we're dead anyways."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind."

"You don't have a choice," Alec argued.

"I know you guys are having a moment, okay? But we really have to go," Clary urged.

"Don't worry. It's not like this is the first time Alec has saved your life," Izzy said. "I doubt it'd be the last."

"Go," Alec ordered.

Clary and Izzy already turned to continue and Jace reluctantly followed.

Alec pulled back the bowstring and was ready to fire at anyone that came through the door, and Shu pulled out her stele and drew a stamina rune.

"You have a stele," Alec noticed as he let an arrow fly and drew another.

"Yeah, I do," She said calmly, blasting the next man that came into view to dust.

"You can use runes."

"I see you've won the 'Most Observant Shadowhunter' trophy. Congratulations."

"But you're a Warlock."

"And you're a Shadowhunter. Are we done here?"

He fired his next arrow. "How?"

"Long story."

"We've got a bit of time on our hands."

She chuckled and blasted the next monster. "Not  _that_  much time. Maybe one day. Ask Mags. Magnus can explain - if you gain enough of his trust, that is."

"He knows?"

"Duh. Three hundred plus years with that man and secrets are shared. Just don't tell anyone about me, okay?"

"Something bad?"

"Good or bad. Depends on the perspective. I'd rather stay without the notoriety of Magnus. I stay in his shadow, I stay safe from those who want to put me on display, or put my head on a stake."

Alec shot one of two demons at the door and Shu put two fists together and pulled them apart, her magic engulfing the second man and then pulling him apart to nothing but ashes.

"And what if I do tell someone?"

"I'll march up to you and anyone you tell and kill you all."

"Not one to mince words, are you?"

"I get it from Magnus."

He shot and arrow and she sent a wave of power right after it, engulfing the arrow and then causing it to glow. When it hit the man in the center of the next wave, it exploded, taking out the other attackers that were taking shelter outside of the door's range.

"Promise not to tell? Don't make me put a rune on you to silence you."

"I promise."

"If I find out you told someone, I wasn't kidding on what I'd do."

"Acknowledged."

"Hey! It's me, Luke! Don't shoot!"

They paused and saw as Luke walked into view with his hands up. "I'm the real Luke. Shu, you healed my wounds yesterday after I fought and beat the former Alpha of my pack. You're a Warlock. Alec, you were there too, helping Magnus keep my forced transformation from the Alpha venom poison in check."

Alec slowly lowered his bow and Shu let the magic around her hands die out. "Where've you been?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Jail."

"Great. I hope you've got a plan for that."

"Hope for the best?"

"Great plan. Use that one all the time."

"Where's Clary?"

"She, Jace, and Izzy are somewhere that way. Heading to the Institute."

"There isn't anyone else coming this way, so I think we're good. I've got the rest of my pack hunting any more down now. We should probably try and find Clary and the others. Might be some unfriendly creatures down there that were already past you two in pursuit."

"Might need some help," Alec agreed. "Clary isn't exactly a top-notch fighter."

Shu closed and locked the door just in case, before they headed after the others.

* * *

"Clary!" Luke called.

"Get back!" She shrieked, holding her seraph blade out. "How do I know you're Luke?"

"I got you spray paints for your birthday," He said, holding his hands up in surrender once more. "What happened?"

As they approached, she dropped her defensive stance. "Uh, demons. Long story, um…where'd you come from?"

"Jail," He said again. "I ran into Alec and Shu. Said you might be down here. Thought you might need some help."

Alec looked down to the ashes of a demon on the floor disappearing. "Apparently not. Looks like she took care of it."

"Shouldn't we get going or something?" Clary asked. "More demons could be coming, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Luke said. "I got the pack on the lookout. If there's any other demons, we'll take care of 'em."

Clary smiled. "Look at you, leader of the pack."

"Well you know. It has it's perks."

"Shall we?"

"I trust you'll take care of things," Shu said. "I'm not heading to the Institute. I'm not a Shadowhunter person. You guys are cool, but the majority of you peeps are  _not_  fun to deal with. See ya when I see ya."

With that, she opened her portal and jumped through.


	5. Autopsy Talks

"We're being called in by the Institute," Shu sighed. "Well,  _you_  are, anyway."

"Are you  _really_  so against going there?"

"Shadowhunters and I stay out of each other's way. Some of them are real bitches. Actually 99% of them are real bitches, and that 1% are good people but with only half of a brain. Well, sometimes. On rare occasions they actually make good decisions, but I digress. You're being brought in for an autopsy on some creature that attacked Lucian - Luke's - pack. They say it looks like a Forsaken, but it seemed to have a goal, and it was a lot stronger, taking five wolves to kill it. Definitely Valentine's work, and they need the High Warlock to go in and check for any magical adaptations made to it."

"Sounds fun," He said sarcastically. "Dead body autopsies are what I look forward to in this line of work."

"Alexander might be there."

"Why do I have to go if you don't have to? Why can't you just go in my place?"

"First reason: I'm older. Second reason: Shadowhunters don't like me, I don't like Shadowhunters. Third reason: you're technically the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and I'm just the girl standing next to him, so  _you_ are the only one obligated to go, not me."

"Who knows? The Shadowhunters we've currently been acquainted with seem different from the normal ones."

"That's because they're teenagers and bending the rules is still okay for them. The adults, not so much. Sticklers for rules, and they are  _not_  nice when it comes to making themselves look good in front of their superiors. They'd do anything if it made sure that their honor was intact, especially the Lightwoods, and especially Maryse - who I hear is currently back at the Institute because of Alec, Jace, and Isabelle breaking a few rules for Clary's sake. Not to mention hanging around in Downworlder affairs. Scandalous."

"Well, perhaps I will go, but I can't promise I won't do anything rash."

"You're really playing that card? Mags, you're a powerful big, bad Warlock, but I know you well enough that you wouldn't go causing trouble with the Clave for no reason."

"They're calling a purebred Warlock in, me of all people. They know that it's me, and are calling me in even with my reputation. It's not like they're going to arrest you for having demonic blood if they're willingly calling  _me_  in."

"I still don't like it there, Magnus. Feels like any moment they'll lock me up for being a heathen or monster. They'd say 'Something like you should never exist,' 'It's a risk to the world,' 'It's for the best that we kill you.' I know Shadowhunters, I know the Clave. That's what they'd do."

"Not this time. You're my assistant, under my protection, and you can always portal your way out if anything goes wrong. Besides, if you don't like coming to parties, you might as well get your Vitamin D somehow."

"First off, the sun doesn't give you Vitamin D, it just begins a synthesis in the body that allows it to make it's  _own_  Vitamin D. Secondly, we've got windows here. Third, you try and take me to nighttime raves, so there isn't any sunlight anyway."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Am I really not going to convince you?"

She took a deep breath. "I'll go this  _one time_ , Magnus, and that's only because you have a point. They know that you're coming, and you've got a reputation. And I'll portal away the moment things go wrong."

"See? I'll get you out of your shell eventually."

"Don't get cocky."

* * *

"You almost done?" Izzy asked.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear," Magnus said, he and Shu waving their magic across the Forsaken's body.

"Come on. I wanna get my hands on that thing."

"Speaking of which, how is Alexander? I was hoping I might hear from him."

"Putrefaction," Izzy said, examining the corpse with a disgusted look on her face as she took a whiff. "It's decomposing."

"Yes, I believe that was clear enough," Shu said.

"It's just so hard to tell if Alexander's even interested," Magnus continued. "I mean, I can't fathom why he wouldn't be."

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my brother is not exactly warm and fuzzy," Izzy said.

"Hmm, I suppose. With Clary's arrival…"

"And Valentine's return."

"Running the Institute…" Shu added.

"The envoy from the Clave…"

"Oh, who I hear is  _very_  impressive," Magnus added before sighing. "What else? Oh. Babysitting Jace."

"And dealing with our parents who are trying to find him a  _wife._ "

"Politically arranged marriage in which Alec gets barely any say?" Shu asked.

"On the mark."

"Honestly. Things haven't changed for millennia."

Izzy looked and saw Magnus's mood had instantly decreased. "Sorry," She said.

"It's quite all right," Magnus managed. "I suppose Alec is just following his duty."

"Not everyone gets the luxury of following their heart."

"I'd say if you love them elope, but only if you have a plan," Shu said. "Obviously it went  _so_  well with Romeo and Juliet, but in their defense it was Shakespeare as well as the times that made them so idiotic. But honestly, when you guys are stuck having to maintain some kind of reputation in return for your heart? Your free will? And you look down upon us Downworlders and mundanes."

Magnus sighed. "I'm gonna go deliver the preliminary findings. It seems like you have everything under control here. Shu?"

She nodded and followed Magnus out as Izzy began to cut open the corpse.

"I'm sure Alec's not one for getting married just for his reputation," Shu said. "Maybe he might've been, but I think he's changed since meeting Clary. Since meeting you. Things have been hectic for him, but maybe that's made him open his eyes."

"Maybe."

"You really like him, don't you? I haven't seen you this upset since, well…I don't know. Imasu maybe."

"I don't want another Imasu."

"Yet here we are. The point is, I think you're more in love than I've ever seen you. And you haven't even begun a relationship yet."

* * *

They found Alec in the training area.

They had to walk around the Shadowhunter Institute with many Shadowhunters around them, and the entire time, Shu felt like there were eyes on her, someone who  _knew_  what she was and was planning on stabbing her in the back because of it.

They made it without incident, and as Alec was the only one in the training area, she took a deep breath of relief.

Magnus walked around so that Alec could see him, and he stopped his workout when he did. "Magnus."

Magnus stared for a moment, obviously dazed at the fact that Alec was training without a shirt on. Shu noticed Magnus wasn't saying anything and whacked him on the arm. "Mags."

He jolted out of his daze, trying to recompose himself. "Okay, I'm back."

Alec walked past, still panting from his workout, and grabbed his shirt.

"Oh, you don't have to get dressed up for me," Magnus said. He sighed. " _Fine_. But I like what I saw…"

"We have the preliminary autopsy findings," Shu said, handing him the folder.

"Why are you giving this to me? This should go to the head of the Institute."

"And it is," Magnus said.

"I'm not. And I never will be."

Shu elbowed Magnus when she saw he was staring at his still-exposed chest, since Alec hadn't buttoned it up yet. He snapped back to attention, forcing himself to look at Alec's eyes and keep a straight face.

"Magnus, it's like…it's like my whole life has been a lie. Everything I've ever known is…"

"It's not what you thought," He finished, having his own experience to sympathize with.

Alec sighed. "I've done everything for my parents. For the Clave, and…it's-it's-I've done everything that they've asked."

"Maybe you should start living for yourself. Do what's in your heart."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right."

Magnus smiled, managing to keep his composure.

"We should probably go," Shu said. "We, uh, have more autopsy stuff to deal with. Mags?"

"Right," He nodded. "Gotta go, but, I'll…see ya around."

Alec nodded. "Yeah. Yeah…"

"Great."

Magnus turned and walked away awkwardly, while trying to keep his composure. It was only once he and Shu had walked around the corner that he let out the breath he'd been holding.

"You think he did that on purpose?" He asked. "He must've known I was coming, right? So he just  _decides_  to train shirtless? He was taunting me! Do you think so?"

"I have no idea, bro. But hey, that might be the case."

"What do you think he's going to do?"

"Who knows? If he's gonna ignore the obligations and expectations of the Clave and his parents, that might help him open up about things. And help him get out of the closet. I swear, he's searching vigorously for Narnia in there. In any case, I'm rooting for you two."

"Thanks."

He paused.

"Do we really have more autopsy stuff to do?"

"We could go check on Isabelle, but not really. It was either say that or let you two stare at each other awkwardly for a few minutes before someone finally said they had to go. I may be all for you two but the awkwardness grows with each encounter."

* * *

"There's been an attack on the Institute."

"Are we really surprised at this point?"

"It was a Forsaken that had the ability to break past the wards on the place meant for Downworlders. According to Izzy, it had Seelie blood and with angel properties. It went after Hodge and Alec. They're banged up but they'll live. They want us to return and beef up the wards."

"You volunteering?"

"I'm not one to favor the Shadowhunters, but might as well give it our best effort if we want to keep that Mortal Cup out of Valentine's hands. Powering up the wards on the place can't hurt, and if they're still okay with having you, a little magic from me couldn't hurt. And the same rules still apply. Portal out if things get dangerous. They're on high alert, as Izzy found traces of angelic blood in both of the Forsaken she autopsied. Best I get in and out quick, but my magic will help. Let's head back."

* * *

Magnus and Shu went to work messing with the wards. They held up a magic screen in front of then and played around with some of the symbols, upgrading the defenses.

"Are the wards solid now?" Alec's father asked. "Nothing will get through?"

Magnus snapped the final instalments in place at that area and and Shu waved her hand to dismiss the magic. They walked over to the next area and began once more.

"Even my magic has limits," Magnus admitted.

"The wards won't be able to hold of the Forsaken attack," Shu explained. "But our protections will slow them down, give you more time to react to it so you aren't ambushed like Hodge. All I can recommend beyond that is to keep in mind that nothing is perfect. The expectation that the wards are solid makes you let your guard down too far. Always be ready, in the back of your mind, for something to attack. Combine the new wards with that mindset, and you should have plenty of time to react to another Forsaken."

"Extra time is priceless," Alec's father muttered.

"No…say that  _after_  you get my bill," Magnus said.

Shu rolled her eyes and elbowed him.

"Lydia will take care of that," He said before walking off.

Shu waved her hand and dismissed the magic screen before moving to the next. Magnus, however, took interest in Alec standing there.

"A Forsaken wound often needs a little Warlock TLC," He said. "May I? Uh, free of charge."

He reached for the bandaged wound on Alek's upper arm, but Alec pulled away quickly. "It's okay," He said with a hint of salt. "I'm fine."

"If anything were to happen to you-"

"Magnus…I'm good. All right? I gotta-"

"Go? Of course. You're a busy man. And I should find this Lydia person. Payment upfront is just smart business. Where might I find her?"

"I haven't seen her. But if I do, I'll send her your way."

He walked off, and Shu dismissed the ward screen.

"What's up with him?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it has me worried."

"You're not the only one. It's like he's possessed, or something. It feels like a Valentine all over again."

"I doubt he'd go that far."

"I'm not saying he'd do what Valentine did. He's going in the opposite direction, but it seems like he's going just as far."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Magnus said. "You need Alec's stele to open the safe and you want  _me_  to steal it from him?"

"I prefer the word 'borrow,'" Jace clarified.

"Without his knowledge," Izzy added.

Magnus put a finger up. "No. No can do. Not happening."

He began to walk off before Shu grabbed his arm. "Mags, wait."

"Ever since Alec found out our parents were in the Circle, he's been…messed up," Jace explained.

"He's right, Magnus. There is seriously something wrong with him. He can't see the big picture. He's becoming like the Clave superiors."

"If the Clave is willing to subject Meliom to the Silent Brothers, if they're willing to go this far…what do you think will happen if they get the cup?" Izzy asked. "This affects everyone."

"Help us get into that safe," Jace begged. "Help us stop this."

Magnus hesitated.

"Magnus Bane, if you do not help fix whatever's happened to Alec, I will no longer approve of him, and you know what happens when you and I disagree on things," Shu said firmly, crossing her arms.

Magnus looked between her, Jace, and Izzy.

He sighed. "You're both going to owe me. I'm talking 14th century. Gold, rubies, definitely diamonds." Shu rolled her eyes. "And Alec can never know."

"That's a given," Jace agreed.

"If we're going to do this, there's no turning back," He warned.

Jace and Izzy shared a glance. Their minds were made up.

* * *

Magnus walked to the room where Alec was tending to the wound on his arm. He waved his hand and made a window into the room in some of his magic, waiting until Alec wasn't looking before snapping. His stele disappeared from his jacket, appearing in Shu's hand.

She quickly drew the symbol with the stele and opened the safe, and Jace grabbed Clary's necklace as well as the card with the cup. Shu closed the safe again and then transported the stele back to Magnus, who waiting for the opportune moment to snap it back into Alec's jacket pocket.

Magnus quickly closed the magic looking glass once more just before Alec walked out of the room.

"All done for today," Magnus quickly said. "Place is secure. Not bad for a day's work. I thought I'd see how you were doing."

Alec hesitated. "I meant to thank you for your advice. The whole "Follow your heart," thing…"

"Oh, well, what can I say? I have a  _deep_  understanding of the human psyche. It's mostly Shu's fault, really. A bit overdramatic at times, but I learned from her whether I liked it or not."

"Thanks a lot, bro," Shu muttered.

"What?" Jace asked.

"Nothing."

"At least that's what Freud always said," Magnus continued.

"Oh, look, someone you're actually old enough to have met," She muttered.

"Are you okay?" Jace asked.

"Quiet, honey, I'm eavesdropping on something important."

"I'm getting married," Alec admitted.

"He's what?!"

"Okay, it's time to go," Jace said, pulling her off.

"Whoa," Magnus muttered, trying to hide his fear that Alec wasn't joking. "That's a tad sudden, isn't it? I mean, we should at least go to dinner first-"

"No, Magnus. Look, family is everything to me. You have to know that."

He shook his head, trying to keep down his feelings and play it off. "I get it. You're part of a "Don't ask, don't tell" culture. I'm fine with it. You're a traditional guy."

"Yeah, I am. That's why I proposed to Lydia."

" _That_  bitch I've been seeing around the Institute?" Shu hissed.

"Would you  _please_  calm the hell down?" Izzy requested.

Magnus was having trouble keeping things down, and he could barely speak. "That's…interesting."

"I-It makes sense," Alec said. "It's a solid partnership. For both of us."

" _Solid_  partnership," Magnus repeated before laughing out his anger. "That's…hot!" He took a deep breath. "Well, okay then. Congratulations. Marriage is a  _wonderful_  institution. Not that I would know."

He took a sharp inhale as he fought now to not keep down his rising fear, but to keep down his burning rage. "Goodbye, Alexander."

And with that, Magnus walked away before he could punch something.

* * *

"You might wanna pick up the pace," Jace requested.

"You do  _not_  wanna be on my bad side right now," Izzy warned.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"The whole world is turning upside down. Simon turned into a vampire. Now Meliom might die because of some-"

"It's not anything you did. They just put a bunch of unrelated facts together and came up with a big lie."

"I wish that made me feel better."

"I gotta go," Shu said. "Just to warn you, Izzy, I may or may not kill Alec depending on what Magnus has to say about that marriage thing."

"Believe me, I might just beat you to it."

And with that, Shu jumped through a portal to Magnus.

* * *

"You can't just give up on him, Mags. I saw something inside him when he saw your face."

"You were eavesdropping?"

"Of course I was, Magnus. This is me we're talking about. Anyway, I  _know_  there's still a good guy in there. I think you can snap him out of this. He thinks this is following his heart, but in the end, he's doing the exact opposite, walking down the path everyone expects him to. I'd rather have you do everything you can to try and get him back than let him walk off a cliff like this."

"Why do I get the feeling you're more freaked out about this than I am?"

"Because you are bottling everything up, and therefore  _I_  am letting everything out. Yin and yang, Mag. You know how this works. Everything that I'm doing is something that you would be too if I weren't taking all the heat. Jace is working on a way to snap Alec out of this anti-rule-flouter mode, but I don't think he's gonna be able to stop him that easily. He's walking into a dangerous area, afraid of doing something wrong, of becoming like Valentine if he breaks the rules to do what he thinks is right, but he can't see that he's no better than Valentine. He's just got the Clave and  _their_  madness behind him instead."

She shook her head. "We can snap him out of this. We can work on this. Totally."

And in truth, Shu was right. Magnus felt inside just as confused and panicked as Shu did on the outside, except Shu was handling both of their feelings all at once. It wasn't really that Magnus wasn't able to handle it on his own, but Shu was taking it willingly to try and spare him the emotions that would be surging through him.

"Shu, thank you, but…I'll be fine on my own."

"Are…are you sure? Mags, I can  _feel_ -"

"I can handle things on my own. And I have the right to feel my own feelings about what's happened."

She swallowed and sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'm sorry, I just…I worry about you."

"I know. And…I'm not denying the offer of comfort. Just…let there be something to comfort, right?"

"That is  _flawless_  logic," She muttered. "But okay. I trust you can handle your emotions, and you have a right to them. But if you ever need…a break…"

"I know you'll be there for me," He said sincerely.

"Okay."

And then Magnus felt the heavy weight of pain swirl within his chest once more.


	6. Another Dimension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to do for some reason.
> 
> Review? Maybe?

"The lovers," Magnus declared as he flipped a card. "This man has a strong hold on you. You feel a magnetic attraction that you cannot escape. Tonight will define your relationship. You hope he is your soul mate. But secrets revealed with threaten to tear you apart."

At that, Clary's smile disappeared from her face.

And then a cat landed in front of her.

"You don't have a cat," Was the first thing she said.

"I have two," Magnus said. "Chairman Meow…" He picked up the cat that had jumped onto the table. "And Church."

He referenced to the cat sitting on a couch nearby, who growled back at Magnus.

"You and Church don't like each other, get over it," Shu said, walking in. "Hello Clary."

"I'm not actually here for a reading," She said. "I know you're a Warlock, Magnus. And so is Shu. I'm a Shadowhunter."

Magnus gave a serious face before breaking out into a laugh. "There are no more Shadowhunters. Haven't been for hundreds of years."

"I can prove it," She said, standing and turning to see her exposed shoulder.

"All I see, Shadowhunter, is you need a serious tan."

"Mags," Shu complained.

"Right, bad strategy. No runes in this dimension," Clary muttered.

She walked over and grabbed a pencil and paper before beginning to sketch and returning to the table. "I'm from an alternate reality."

"If that were true, without an anchor you'd be assimilating into this world."

"Which seems kinda pointless, if you ask me," Shu muttered. "Go to another dimension and you disappear from your reality, but the dimension you go to isn't affected. That's like apoptosis. Maybe it has a reason, but in the end, it's suicide."

Clary scoffed. "Believe me, I am trying to fight it. Which is part of why I need your help."

She dropped her sketch in front of them, and Magnus picked it up to see she'd drawn a couple of demons.

"In my dimension, Shadowhunters still battle demons. And now there is something so much worse. I need your magic to help me stop it."

Magnus hesitated, belief taking over his face, and then horror. He shook his head. "I can't help you. My magic's gone dormant."

He stood and walked over to the window.

"Then wake it up," Clary suggested.

* * *

Magnus sighed. "This better work."

He took a drink of something he'd brewed up and cringed at the taste.

"What does that do?" Clary asked.

"Hopefully? Kick-start my magic."

"And?"

"Give it a minute?"

He set down the potion and held his stomach. He looked over and saw Clary searching through a book and walked over to her.

"That book is  _very_  precious. Warlock spells preserved in all their grandeur."

"It's stunning."

Magnus held his stomach before he threw his hand up. "This isn't working. This is the longest I've ever abstained." He sighed. "From a lot of things."

"Why don't you just try something simple?" Clary suggested. "Move that."

Magnus gave her a skeptical look before putting his hand out. A small flame of magic appeared at his palm, but it was weak and thin. He tried moving his hand, but nothing happened. He grunted in anger.

"Usually you have a little more…" Clary waved her hands around. "… _flourish_ , to it."

"I do not look like that," Magnus protested.

Clary gave a face. "Well…"

Magnus rolled his eyes at her in exasperation, but gave it another try. His magic was no stronger, and he grunted in pain, smacking his wrist as though that might fix things.

"How's it going?" Shu asked.

When Clary took a look at her, her eyes widened. "What are you wearing?"

Shu was dressed in a punk outfit, a good deal of leather, from pants, to boots, to shirt and jacket. Her shirt was revealing a good deal of her chest, she had numerous earrings up along the shells of her ears, along with one dangling earing where a normal earring would go with a bullet on a chain handing from it. Her nails were painted black, matching her lipstick, eyeshadow, and basically all of her outfit. Her hair was pulled up into a pony-tail with a couple pink streaks going down the length of the locks, and she had finger-less gloves finishing off the biker look. Not to mention there was glitter. A  _lot_  of glitter.

"My normal outfit. Mags doesn't let me wear it during business hours since it would make him look bad."

"Somehow she's the older one and this is what's happened to her," Magnus muttered.

"Says the one who can't use his magic."

She held up her hand an a flame of Warlock magic burst to life above it, much bigger and much more powerful than Magnus's.

"At least I haven't fallen to your level of rusty."

"And you risk revealing us as Warlocks to the world."

"I keep it on the DL. Besides, if anyone sees me, I can fix problems easily with the snap of my fingers. Hasn't failed me so far."

"Can you track the portal I'm looking for?" Clary asked.

"I'd need an energy signature of some kind to track it. Got anything like that on you?"

Clary sighed. "Maybe we try something different."

She removed her necklace. "I don't know how this came into this dimension with me."

Magnus stared. "Because it's  _of_  this dimension. It belongs here."

Shu grabbed Magnus's hand. "Just touch it, Maggie. Trust me."

He put his fingers around the gem, and suddenly a pulse was sent through the three of them.

Magnus took a deep breath. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

"We have lift off," Shu reported.

The two of them concentrated. "The energy's very faint," Magnus said. "It's been dormant for a long time. Like me."

"Let's see if we can wake it up," Shu said. "Take a deep breath, Mags, and work with me."

He did so, and the to of them stared ahead intently, searching out the portal.

"Can you see it?" Clary asked.

"Yes!" Magnus exclaimed. "It's in a subbasement of…Fort Knox."

Clary panicked. "Like, literally Fort-"

"No, but it might as well be. The Institute."

"Why is that a problem?"

"High tech, high security. Impossible to get into."

"And hosting an anniversary party tonight that I have a hook up to."

Clary smiled, before reaching to her chiming phone. "Ugh, damn. Meet me tonight at 7:00 PM at the Institute." She grabbed the Portal shard from her necklace. "Dress to impress."

Magnus turned and watched her go, but once she was gone, he seemed to snap out of the daze of shock he was in.

"I couldn't possibly get in," He protested.

"Clary or I could get you on the list."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to wear!"

"I'll handle that," Shu said. "Time for a makeover, little brother."

"I better have a say in some of this."

"You  _will_. Ish."

* * *

"She's not texting me back," Magnus said.

"Probably dancing with her boyfriend."

"How would you know that?"

"I can see them inside right now."

Magnus looked over and realized she was right.

"A girl with a dress that doesn't have pockets for a phone. Really. What has the world come to? I'll meet you inside."

"What? Where are you going? You've gotta help me get in to! Just snap my name onto the list!"

"I would, but it looks like you've got an admirer who might be willing to let you in anyway. And besides, I barely managed to convince you to wear the suit, no glitter, make up, or jewelry. You want in, I ain't helping this time."

"Wait! Shu!"

She walked up to the guy and nodded. "Asushunamir. I think you know who I am."

"How could I not? Go on ahead."

She smiled to him and walked past briskly.

"Shu! Hey!"

He tried to run in after her, but was stopped by the man with the tablet letting people in.

"Sorry, you're not on the list."

Magnus grunted in anger. Some sister she was.

A man walked up and gave Magnus a once over. "What seems to be the problem?"

"This one wants to crash the party."

Magnus looked at the new man worriedly. The guy raised an eyebrow in interest.

"I'll be responsible for this one," He said. "Come on in."

Taking the opportunity, Magnus hurried after his savior. He began to look around for Clary, when a drink was suddenly dropped into his hand.

"To us," The guy said, clinking their glasses together before taking a sip.

Magnus reluctantly did the same while searching around for Clary.

"And you are?"

"Magnus Bane."

"Alec Lightwood."

"Thanks, but…I gotta go."

He hurried away, and Alec smiled. "Playing hard to get. I love a challenge."

* * *

"He was cute, huh?" Shu asked.

"You can ask him out if you want."

"Nah. He's homosexual."

"And you're pointing this out, why?"

"No reason. There she is, now let's get her."

They hurried over to Clary, who was watching her friends Simon and Izzy hook up with a smile.

"Come on, let's go," Shu said, pulling Clary off.

She planted her feet and resisted her, looking at the Warlock in confusion. "Who are you?"

"Clary, it's me. Shu? And Magnus?"

"Do I…know you?" She asked.

"Focus," Magnus pushed.

"Okay, seriously, let go of me."

She shoved Shu's hand away and Magnus snapped to reveal a magic holographic image of Chairman Meow.

Clary looked at it in shock. "What is wrong with you?"

He snapped again…and this time got Church.

Clary still looked baffled and quite terrified, in all honesty. "Dude, I-"

Shu rolled her eyes and snapped another image up in her palm. Clary turned to look at it and suddenly recoiled, as though she'd just turned to look at the sun. She blinked furiously and gasped before taking a deep sigh of relief.

"That was close."

"You're telling me," Magnus muttered.

"This way. Let's go."

She took Magnus's hand and hurried off with him in tow.

Shu pushed in a fake wall and walked through. Clary urged Magnus through next, and then spent an extra moment looking back to her parents - her parents of  _this_  dimension - before following through as well and closing the door behind her.

* * *

"What are we even looking for?" Clary asked.

"We'll know it when we see it," Shu said, hurrying ahead and around a corner.

Clary took Magnus's arm in worry. "What if this doesn't work?"

"It will, biscuit," Magnus assured her. "I can feel it."

"Do you guys hear those steps coming from the way we came or is that just me?" Shu asked.

Clary and Magnus looked over to find Jace standing at the bottom of the stairwell they'd come from, and Clary quickly pulled her hand away.

"You know, if you were having seconds thoughts about us, you could have told me, instead of coming down here and hooking up with some random guy."

"They're not hooking up," Shu protested, walking into view. "This is Magnus. He's…uh… _my_  boyfriend, not Clary's. We were just down here because…Clary wanted to give you a surprise. Way to ruin it, Wayland."

Jace hesitated, clearly unconvinced, but then a demon jumped down behind him. He turned to the sound of roaring, only for Clary to push him out of the way and kick it into the wall.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Jace demanded.

"Let's go!"

She grabbed his hand and they began running.

* * *

Jace was having a panic attack from seeing one damn monster.

"Honestly, what have humans become these days?" Shu muttered as she and Magnus searched for the portal.

"Says the PTSD crazy lady who hasn't been able to let go of the past and actually relax," Magnus retorted. "You have to dress like a rebel, act like a lunatic, and haven't even been able to let go of your magic."

"And now who's unprepared to fight a demon? Who can barely managed a whiff of magic on their own?"

"It still doesn't change the fact that you need to calm down, Shu. The war happened ages ago,  _ended_  ages ago. Mundanes and Downworlders live in peace, and Shadowhunters are basically extinct. Clary and that demon are from another dimension, so they don't count."

"You know what? Fine. I don't need to hear this from you, Maggie. But like it or not, I can't ever relax. It's not in my genes, my nature. Do you know why I can still use magic so well even though you've barely seen me use any at all these past few centuries? Because it refuses to settle down, Magnus. I've tried to ignore and neglect it, but the flame refuses to burn out even if I'm not feeding it fuel."

"You're  _afraid_  to snuff it out."

"Yes, I am. I admit that. But it's not just me and my fears, it's just…something inside me. I was born a being that needs magic. If I were to go without it, it would be like…like living without air. I could hold on for a few seconds, but in the end, I would be consumed."

"Do you think this is because of…?"

"Yeah. Most likely. I was born to fight, use my magic, and it's the only way I'm programed to live. This isn't PTSD, Magnus. It's just…me."

Magnus swallowed, but didn't meet her eyes.

"Do you hear the sound of fighting?"

Magnus's eyes widened and Shu rushed off in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the direction they had left Jace and Clary.

* * *

"Uh, the coast is clear, Mags."

Magnus looked around the corner. Considering he was in no position to fight, he wasn't going to try and get involved and leave it up to Shu.

Magnus walked in and saw the knocked out demon, a couple of broken brooms, and a ton of boxes scattered about the room. Shu walked over to the demon and touched it, sending her power through and then turning it to dust.

"No more getting up for you," She muttered.

Jace was holding his hand over his neck where are large wound was bleeding out.

"Where's my stele?" Jace asked.

"It didn't come through with you," Clary explained.

"You're gonna need more than a stele for that," Shu reported.

"Will portaling back to his own body cure him?"

"No," Magnus said. "Blood travels with you. It's why your angelic powers still work here. The demon venom is in his blood."

"Then we have to get him back to the Institute in  _our_  dimension."

Jace shook his head. "No. We've got to find Valentine."

"Jace you're in no condition to fight."

"We might not get another chance, Clary. This is too important."

"Found it!" Shu called.

She and Magnus examined a wall that was glowing slightly with purple cracks of energy.

Clary helped Jace up, pulling one of his arms over her shoulders and supporting his weight as they walked over.

"Magnus."

He held out his hand and Clary gave him the portal shard. He slipped it into place and Shu snapped, feeding her magic into the shard before she and Magnus pulled the large purple portal open.

"You'll have to destroy the portal after we go through," Jace requested.

"Why?" Magnus asked.

"To secure your dimension from all sides. Otherwise, if it stays open, you'll be vulnerable to demon attacks again."

"We'll take care of it," Shu promised.

Clary moved forward, but Magnus grabbed her elbow.

"Thank you."

"Well I should be thanking you."

"No. You gave me back a life. I won't forget it. Now go."

"Think of your father," Jace advised.

Clary gave the portal a glare as she did just that, and they stomped through the portal, disappearing.

Magnus held his hands out, glowing with magic, as he swirled his hands around and closed it.

Shu sighed and stretched.

"I wonder if the me in their dimension is happier without a life of peace."

She gave Magnus a once over.

"And if the you in their dimension has more glitter."


	7. Tensions

Shu opened the door to the apartment, slightly surprised to find that it was Alec. She'd sensed it was a Shadowhunter, and was prepared to defend Magnus should the need arise, but she hadn't really expected him.

"Alexander."

"Alec," He corrected.

"Sorry. Why are you here?"

"I need to see Magnus."

"Official or personal business?"

"Official."

She gave him a once over and sighed. "Fine. I'll summon him. Make him upset, and I kick you out, though not in the state you came in."

* * *

Magnus sighed heavily. "Tired of bickering over the guest list for your wedding?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Hm. Will it take long? I have a life to live and…there's not much for us to talk about."

"It's not about me. Or…any of that. It's about my sister."

"Oh, I see. Are you referring to the fact that your  _adorable_  fiancée has Isabelle on trial for treason?"

Magnus passed Shu a cocktail he'd made and then sat down in one of the chairs. Shu wasn't one to drink things, but she accepted the glass and took a sip.

"What can we do for you Alec?" Magnus asked.

"My sister wants you to be her defense attorney. I said I would ask. But I'm sorry to bother you. I know…a Downworlder can't defend a Shadowhunter in court."

"But a Shadowhunter accused of a crime can choose any advocate."

"That can't mean a Downworlder."

"The Clave was so rigid and prejudice back in what they called the 'Time of Angels,' that they didn't  _dream_ of a Shadowhunter asking a Downworlder for help," Shu explained. "They didn't even bother to exclude us."

"So, since, as you all say…" Magnus stood. "' _The law is the law,_ ' there's not stopping me from slipping through that gaping loophole." He smirked. "For the right price."

"Name it," Alec declared.

"You. In fact, I'll do you pro bono."

"Magnus…" Shu began. "Anything else?"

Magnus sighed. "What else is important to you? What else tells me that your sister means enough for you to make a real sacrifice." He smiled. "Oh. I know. Your bow and quiver. How about that?"

Alec hesitated, but sighed. "Done."

Magnus smiled and took a sip of his drink.

* * *

"Will I survive if I touch it?" Magnus asked.

"If you tell the truth," The Clave woman said.

" ** _It's fine, Mags,_** " Shu told him. " ** _I won't let it kill you._** "

" ** _Why do I have a feeling that you're saying that it's going to hurt?_** "

" ** _Only if you lie._** "

He shrugged and grasped the hilt of the Mortal Sword, the gem at the butt of the sword glowing red at his touch.

" _By the power of this sword, do you swear to defend you client with integrity and honesty?_ " The Silent Brother asked.

"No argument from me on that," Magnus said.

" ** _Yes,_** " Shu responded simply, as she and Magnus's soul bond required her to answer as well.

The Silent Brother bowed his head and Magnus quickly released the sword.

" ** _Well that was easier than I thought it'd be._** "

" ** _Well, even Downworlders have honesty, right? Besides, the sword-_** "

"Make your case, Warlock," The Clave woman ordered.

"My case is simple. It is true that Isabelle Lightwood acted against orders of the Clave by trying to free the Seelie Meliom. But she did not act against the  _interests_  of the Clave. Preventing the forced questioning and possible death of a Seelie may have saved the Accords."

"We're not here to speculate what  _might_  have happened if he defendant  _hadn't_  interfered."

"You mean what  _might_  have happened if she hadn't stopped the Silent Brothers from torturing a Seelie?"

The woman leaned back in exasperation. "I await a  _valid_  argument. Do you have one?"

"What you really want is the Mortal Cup. My client doesn't have it. Since the whole proceeding isn't about what it's really about, I move to have my case dismissed."

"You're out of order."

"No. This whole thing is out of order. It's not Isabelle's fault, it's the cup. Put the cup on trial!"

Magnus walked over to sit beside Isabelle once more.

" ** _Things aren't always easy when the judge itself is biased against you._** "

" ** _I never said I didn't understand your reasons for hating the Shadowhunters._** "

" ** _I never said you did._** "

* * *

Lydia was up now, ready to interrogate the witness.

"You have led us to believe that you alone carried out this operation. But Clary Fairchild was seen near the City of Bones last night."

"Maybe she was out for a walk."

"And you expect us to believe that you distracted the guards, and escaped with the prisoner on your own?"

"Pretty slick, right?"

"I suggest you think about how  _slick_  it would be when Valentine uses the Mortal Cup to raise an army of rogue Shadowhunters," The Clave woman snapped.

"I don't want Valentine to succeed," Izzy assured them.

"Well that's the first sane thing I've heard from you."

"You know what's insane? Thinking we had the right to treat a Downworlder's life as worthless."

"Isabelle, I should warn you that everything you say here will be considered in the verdict," Lydia warned.

"Good." She stood and spoke loudly to the crowd of people. "Consider this. Valentine didn't come out of nowhere. We use our angel blood to justify everything we do, just like him. Like him, we forget that we are not only angels. We are part mundane. We can be afraid. And fear makes us cruel. And we turn our fear to Downworlders just as Valentine did. And just as he did…we will end up turning on each other."

"You think we're doing that to you?" The Clave woman asked.

Isabelle turned her head calmly. "You have to answer that for yourself…Madam Inquisitor."

* * *

"I'd like to call Lydia Branwell to the stand," Magnus said.

As if tensions couldn't possibly rise any higher.

"I don't see the relevance," The Clave woman said.

"Well that makes two of us. I don't see the relevance of this whole trial. Ms. Branwell? If you'll take the stand?"

Lydia stood and walked over to the chair and sat down.

"I just have one question. Why are you prosecuting this case?"

Lydia looked slightly panicked. She turned to the Clave Inquisitor, but she was interested in Lydia's reaction.

"Answer the question, Counselor."

Lydia looked down and took a deep breath. "Because…the law is hard, but…it is the law."

Magnus sighed, but Lydia continued.

"But that doesn't make it right. We're trying someone for being compassionate, thinking for herself. She saved a life that was being sacrificed…for  _nothing_."

"That will be enough, Branwell," The Inquisitor said.

"No. It isn't. I'm looking out at the faces here. A brother and sister who disagree on everything, except for how much they love one another…and how loyal they are to each other. A man who took this case, pretending to want payment in rare objects but…who really believes that injustice towards his friends is intolerable."

Magnus looked up to her, a solemn look on his face.

"People who…maybe don't want to be here, but they came because their friend was being treated wrongly, and they wanted the world to know that they stand beside her."

Shu caught Lydia staring at her for a moment, but she quickly swept her eyes across the rest of the crowd. The moment was caught by no one.

"Loyalty, decency, compassion, love. These are the concepts that we should consider to decide guilt or innocence in a case like this."

"Those are not the concepts of the law," The Clave woman said firmly. "Now, enough of this nonsense."

"I agree. The case is nonsense."

Shu smiled, and Lydia stood.

"I withdraw the charges."

A moment of disbelief swept throughout the room, followed by applause, smiles, and laughs.

Isabelle stood, and Magnus turned to hug her, a wide smile taking over her face.

Lydia came down from the stand, smiling too.

Magnus opened the briefcase he had and waved his hand, the papers coming flying out along with a bit of confetti which…honestly wasn't that surprising that Magnus had that in the briefcase he was holding official papers within.

Alec walked up and hugged Izzy, Shu standing and doing the same with Magnus.

"Silence!" The Clave woman called, banging her gavel. "Order!"

Shu smiled and gave Lydia a quick hug too, before they laughed and broke apart to find the confetti raining down around them.

"And I thought we'd go  _one_  day without sparkles," Shu muttered.

"Oh, you should know me better than that, Shu," Magnus said.

"Silence!" The Inquisitor banged her gavel down harder, and everyone looked to her, smiles disappearing. "If you think refusing to prosecute exculpated the defendant you are wrong. She is guilty."

The woman stood firmly.

"The defense was correct. The Clave wants the Mortal Cup. If it is returned within 24 hours, this ruling will be vacated. If not, Isabelle Lightwood will be stripped of her runes and exiled from the society of the Shadowhunters forever."

With a final pound of the gavel, the court was dismissed.

* * *

"I  _really_  hate that woman now," Shu muttered.

"So you didn't hate her before?" Magnus asked.

"I did. But now I hate her with a passion. Just like the rest of those upstarts in the Clave."

Magnus sighed, but made no argument.

"I'm sorry we lost the case," Magnus said to Izzy.

"Yeah," Isabelle said. "But at least we lost it with style."

Shu mustered a smile. "That's the spirit."

The door to the room opened and Alec walked in. "Jace and Clary are back. They gave the cup to Lydia. You're free to go."

Isabelle smiled and exclaimed in surprise joy. "You were right, they came back! You knew!"

She moved to give Alec a tight hug, smiling uncontrollably.

"Oh, I didn't, actually."

Magnus smiled and the scene before seeming to snap to attention. "Well, our work is done here. Well,  _my_ work."

"I helped you in spirit," Shu protested, grabbing his jacket.

"Walk me out, will you?" Magnus requested. "We have some…business to settle."

He walked out past Alec and Izzy, Shu giving an apologetic look before hurrying after.

* * *

Alec grabbed his bow from he armory and held up his quiver of arrows.

Magnus took them, trying to keep his face straight.

"As promised…payment in full," Alec said. "Thank you."

Magnus didn't say anything, trying to keep his usual carefree attitude on his face, turning to walk away and join Shu.

He paused and turned back. "I just want you to know…Lydia was wonderful in court. She was great."

"So you get it."

"No, Alec. I get  _her_. I  _like_  her. But you  _don't_  have to marry her."

" _Yes_ , I  _do_ , Magnus."

"You'll be lonely all your life, and so will she. Neither of you deserve it. And I don't either."

Alec's resolve faltered, but he said nothing. Magnus looked down, unable to continue with anything else that might change Alec's mind. Instead, he looked to the weapons he had in his hands.

"I don't know what to do with these," He admitted. "Shu's the one with weapons, and she's got her own arsenal that really doesn't need these. She'd probably say they weren't up to her standards. You keep them for me."

Alec looked at him in surprise, but Magnus nodded in confirmation, holding the bow and quiver out. Alec took them back slowly, and sighed. Magnus nodded one final time, before turning and walking away.

"You did well," Shu said as they walked down the hallway.

"Why is he so adamant about going through with this?"

"Stubbornness. He made a plan to try and help his family while he was being rash and headstrong. Now that his resolve is wavering, he feels he can't turn back now, and that he's still doing this for a reason. It's psychology. Once you're in something, even if everything is screaming for you to turn back, if doing so would cause numerous unforeseen difficulties, it scares you. You want to go on the path that's safest, even if it may not be the right one. But people have defied that logic before. I have hope Alec will too."


	8. Malec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, lo and behold, the episode that everyone knows and loves is here. I'm not even ashamed that I'm too lazy to come up with an original name.
> 
> It's the longest chapter in the story so far, so sorry about that.

"You're trying again?" Shu asked.

"Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't push him?"

"No. You do what you want. If he changes his mind, he changes it, but the only way that might happen is if you try and point out the flaws in his plan. Alec deserves to choose his happiness. He's been living a slave to obligation all his life. Whether or not this is for you, he deserves to see the truth, learn that he has the potential for happiness. The only thing that's stopping him is himself. You're the only one that can show him that."

* * *

"Hello? Magnus? You said you needed to talk to me."

"Nice to see you, Alec. I wasn't sure if you'd come."

Alec held his hand out and was about to say something, but Magnus snapped a glass of wine into his hand.

"You know how I hate to drink alone, and Shu wouldn't pick up a glass if her life depended on it."

He moved to clink their glasses together, but Alec pulled his away, moving to set it on the table. "I didn't come here to drink. Do you have any information-?"

"On the Warlock who cast a spell on Joselyn? We're working on it. But…we never really finished our conversation after Izzy's trial. About your wedding?"

"There's no conversation to be had. I'm getting married. You and I, we understand marriage very differently. I'm a Shadowhunter. This is about family, tradition, honor-"

"Honor? Where's the honor in living a lie?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What about… _love?_  Even Shadowhunters fall in love, Alec. Just tell me you're in love with Lydia, and I'll stop."

Alec opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. He stuttered to find words, looking to the side. "I don't know. Why do you keep pushing? Y-You know th-this is…" He took a couple frustrated breaths. "You're confusing me!"

He scoffed and tried to walk off, but the moment Magnus continued, he stopped and turned back.

"Confusion is part of it. That's how you find out something's there. Emotions are never black and white. They're more like…symptoms."

Magnus began circling him slowly. "You lose your breath every time they enter a room."

Alec inhaled sharply.

Magnus snapped. "Your heart beats faster when they walk by. Your skin tingles when they stand close enough to feel their breath."

Magnus let out a small wave of magic from his mouth against Alec's neck. Alec turned to keep Magnus behind him, but then sighed and turned back to him to see Magnus's serious face.

"I know you feel what I feel, Alec."

Alec scoffed weakly. "You don't have any clue what I feel," He tried. "So back off."

He turned and stomped away, but then continued. "This is all just a game to you, isn't it? You flirt, you laugh, you use magic, but at the end of the day, what do you risk? Even if I did feel something for you…you want me to give up my life for you? I have to do what's right for me. I could lose my family, my career,  _everything_. You just don't get it."

Magnus could only swallow and try to keep a straight face.

"You have a choice to make."

Alec turned to leave but hesitated.

"I will not ask again," Magnus mustered, his voice shaking.

And when Alec turned around once more, Magnus was gone.

* * *

"Don't give up on him, Magnus," Shu said. "He's just using anger to cover up the fact that you had a point. He told you those things to assure himself more than you."

"But maybe he was right."

"Maggie-"

"I'm asking him to give up everything for me. In the end, it's his life that's on the line, not mine. Just my feelings. I can get over something like this. I've done it before."

"And how many more times are you willing to do it? How many times can you possibly stand having this happen?"

"Love is just a fleeting dream for us immortals. Loving those with shorter lifespans means it's always going to come to an end. Loving someone else that's immortal means that you're eventually going to get tired of them, there's more time to make mistakes. There's no room for love even in an infinite lifespan. You said so yourself: you don't do this. This dating, this falling in love, this constant struggle for finding the one and knowing that no matter who it is, it won't last forever. When you know you're going to live for eternity, love is nothing more than an inconvenience built to make immortality hell."

"Hey. Don't start going Camille on me. You have tried  _constantly_  since we've met to convince me that I should allow myself to love someone. You've fallen in love so many times that you probably lost count centuries ago, but how many of those times were like with Alec? How many even came close? I've kept track. I could count the number on my fingers."

"Everything just sprung out of nowhere. It's just me jumping to the next person I think is cute. It's not like I'm missing out on something. I'll get over it."

"Really? Don't lie to me, Mags. I've seen people fall in love within a couple days under the right - or wrong, I suppose - circumstances. I've been with you the whole way, and I've seen how sometimes those little sparks of love that you think will turn into nothing but a fling, start the fires of real love that are carved into your heart forever.

"You wanna know the truth, Mags? I tried falling in love, back in the day. Back when I was young and thought I was pulling myself together, that I was strong enough. I came across the same dilemmas you're having: I fell apart, put my shattered pieces back together only to fall apart again, and eventually, I reached a point where I stopped. I thought it wasn't worth it. Being immortal doesn't mean living forever, that's not what it feels like. Being immortal means seeing the world and the people you love dying around you. That's the cost.

"But the other thing I learned? I learned that you can still love. You can make it past heartbreak, you can get used to it. But only if it's true. You have all the time in the world to learn what true love is, and then, now that I've learned, I'm still looking. There just hasn't been anyone up to my standards. I haven't given up on a boyfriend, Mags, or just a lover in general. I'm just looking for the one who understands what I've come to understand, who's learned what I've learned, who's willing to take the risk of pain with me.

"And I see a little of me in Alec, too. Just he hasn't lived through the years I have. He's never really been warm and fuzzy, and is not really quick to romance, but that's just because he's afraid of what happens when it  _is_  real, how it will change him. He knows he has to learn lessons about what true love is, and he knows it's going to hurt. Rather than go down that path, he keeps staring straight ahead, tries to block everything else out. He keeps it all bottled up inside, because love hurts, and he doesn't want anyone to know it hurts him. Everyone can see that he liked Jace - except maybe Jace, but maybe he suspects - but things weren't simple for him because of the circumstances. Because of that, he thinks that he has all the experience with love he needs.

She put her hand on his and looked him in the eye. "Prove him  _wrong,_  Magnus."

Magnus hesitated. "In the end, it's his choice."

"Yeah. But at least let him make it freely. He's influenced by his family's honor, all the stuff you and he are both worried about. Just take away everything, all the influence, all the pressure, and ask: How do you feel? Do  _not_  give up on him, Magnus. At the very least, do this for his sake. He's trapped. You're the only one that has a chance of making him fight to break free. Love is hard. Hard to find, hard to keep. Relationships take effort, and things won't always be perfect. But you have to be willing to fight for it. Because when you are, it is more than worth it. If you love him at all, you're going to try and snap him out of this."

Magnus sighed. "I'll try."

"You love him Maggie. I know you will. Now, back to that case for the Warlock who KO'd Joselyn. Come on, Mags. Back to the peppy brother I know and hate."

Magnus smiled and took a deep breath, recomposing himself before jumping to his feet. "Right. What's next?"

* * *

"Morning," Clary said as she a Jace walked up to the meeting table where Magnus and Shu were already sitting.

"Morning. You just come from training?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm, uh…working on my right hook."

"Good. That's a…good punch."

"Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm working on it."

"While this conversation is  _no doubt_  scintillating, remind me why we couldn't do this at my place?" Magnus requested. "At least  _there_  we have cocktails. Plus, Shu doesn't like going out, especially coming here."

"It's 9:00 in the morning," Clary protested.

"Oh, it's happy hour somewhere, my dear," Shu sighed. "I swear, Maggie could drink more than Tyrion Lannister. Or, more accurately, Cersei Lannister."

"You spend way too much time on YouTube," Magnus muttered.

"Maybe you don't spend enough."

"We invited you two here because Hodge can't leave the Institute," Jace explained. "He's an important part of this mission."

"Well then where is our tardy little tutor?" Magnus asked. "There are certain individuals that we'd like to avoid, so let's make this quick."

"Pardon the delay, Magnus, Asushunamir," Hodge said, walking up. "I was following up on a lead. Now, we've narrowed down our list of Warlocks to these four."

He clicked his tablet and four pictures appeared on the screen, one of them being Shu.

"How did you get my picture?" Shu asked.

"Why is Ragnor Fell up here?" Magnus asked. "He's not more powerful than I am."

"Well, some would disagree," Hodge said. "He  _is_  older than you."

"Certainly not  _wiser._ "

"Because the glitter and makeup covered younger Warlock is obviously wiser than the older professor," Shu said.

"Thank you."

Shu rolled her eyes. "Well, he's not older than  _me_. I can say that for sure."

"Who is Ragnor Fell?" Clary asked.

"The former High Warlock of London," Jace explained.

"And one of our oldest friends," Magnus added.

"We went to Peru a couple times," Shu agreed.

"Very prickly. Likes to keep to himself."

"Okay, look, we just need to figure out which one of these Warlocks had enough access to Joselyn that they could create the potion for her without anyone discovering what they'd done."

"Well I had access or her for years, but I never made her a potion," Shu said. "Joselyn never asked for one. I was just there to take Clary's memories away every couple years and maybe pop in for a visit every now and then."

"You could've done it and taken your own memories away to keep them safe as well," Jace suggested.

"That would mean that my memories would have to be with Charon. I'd trust them with no one else. He may be a demon, but he takes memories seriously."

"Valak, who we have no reason to trust," Magnus corrected. "And possibly that answer is too simple, or too complicated. By the early 90's, Ragnor was a professor at the Shadowhunter Academy in Idris."

"Isn't that when my mother lived there?" Clary asked. "Could he have made the potion for her?"

Magus paused, realization taking over his face. "The little bugger!"

"That's why he hasn't responded to our fire message," Shu confirmed.

"Ever since Valentine began hunting Warlocks, Ragnor's been hold up in his secret country house just outside of London," Magnus explained. "For all we know, Ragnor suspected our fire message was a ploy by Valentine to lure him out of hiding. We'll have to confront him face-to-face."

"You're going on this mission?" Hodge asked.

"Of course! We're the only ones Ragnor trusts. Besides, I've played my last hand here. Even I know when to fold. Shu?"

"I follow Mags. Believe it or not, sometimes he  _does_  have some good judgement calls."

"Why thank you."

They stood and turned to leave…only to find Alec and Lydia walking up.

"Magnus, Shu, I didn't know you were here," Lydia said.

"That  _was_  the point," Shu sighed.

"We're just on our way to greet a few representatives of the Clave who arrived early for tomorrow's wedding. How long are you staying?"

"What's going on here?" Alec asked. "Nobody told me about a meeting."

"Magnus and Shu figured out that Ragnor Fell is the Warlock who can wake my mom," Clary explained. "We're just bringing him back to the Institute."

"How can I help?"

"We're just recovering a Warlock, Alec," Jace said. "We've got this covered."

"Besides, you have emissaries from the Clave to meet," Magnus added. "You don't want to tarnish your family's perfectly-crafted image, now do you?"

There was a moment of tension that everyone could feel.

"It's been nice seeing you two," Shu said without smiling. "We should probably go. And you've got your own things to settle. See you when we see you."

She walked past Alec, Magnus followed, Lydia walked off, Alec followed, and Jace and Clary sighed before walking off and dealing with their own problems.

* * *

"Ah, fresh air!"

"Says the one who'd never leave indoors if it weren't for me," Magnus said.

"That's only because you drag me off to even  _worse_  places, making the loft seem like heaven in comparison. Even living with  _you_  is quieter than a rave."

"Ragnor's house is just across these fields."

"Let's make this quick," Jace said. "We'll talk to Ragnor and portal him back to the Institute before anyone knows we're gone."

"Don't you just  _love_  how we've made 'portal' a verb?" Shu asked.

"Only for the Shadow World, but sure," Magnus said.

There were a few moments of awkward silence as they walked.

"So…brother and sister, huh?" Magnus asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jace said.

"What? So we're just gonna be work buddies now?" Clary asked. "All about the mission and totally ignore the huge bomb that was just dropped on us?"

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." He sighed in exasperation. "What do you want me to say, Clary? That I was attracted to my sister?"

"Point of fact!" Magnus blurted. "Brothers and sisters are often attracted to each other. I once knew this one couple in ancient Egypt-"

"Magnus, not helping," Clary interrupted.

"Maybe this will all make sense when we wake up Joselyn," Shu suggested. "Maybe Valentine was lying to try and mess with your minds."

"Or, seeing as Joselyn is Jace's mother as well-"

"Don't say that again," Jace interrupted. " _Maryse_  is my mother. At best, Joselyn is the woman who abandoned me."

"Hey, that's not true," Clary protested. "My mother would never abandon her son. She thought you were dead."

"Or maybe she just didn't want me."

"You don't know her, Jace."

"That's right, Clary, I don't. Do you?"

"I'm sorry I asked!" Magnus shouted. "I came with you to escape  _my_  relationship drama, not get a front row seat to yours."

"Not that this wasn't predictable, Maggie, considering you were the one that started this conversation in the first place, and then made it even  _worse_  by continuing to talk," Shu said.

"Just trying to make conversation."

"By bringing up the  _worst_  conversation topic in existence between these two and  _asking_  for relationship drama."

" _Excuse_   _me_  if there really isn't any good topic conversations for these people."

Jace turned around, looking at the open field and listening. "What was that?"

"Nice try, Jace," Clary said. "You're not getting out of this conversation that easily."

"Look out!"

Green fire began burning along the grass, circling them.

"Ragnor put up wards to protect his lair," Shu explained.

"Why is the fire green?" Clary asked.

"It's a wall of fire that only the pure of heart and intention can pass through," Magnus explained. "Are you ready?"

The four of them lined up and walked through the flames, allowing them to be engulfed.

* * *

When the flames faded, only Clary and Shu remained. The fire disappeared behind them, and Clary looked around frantically.

"Jace? Magnus? Where are you?"

"Calm down, Clary," Shu said, walking forward. "They're fine."

She walked Clary over to a house hidden in the trees and they headed inside.

"Ragnor?" Clary called. "Ragnor?"

Inside, it was empty, Clary's voice ringing out.

"Hello? Is anybody home? I need your help."

The place was filled with books scattered about. "Never clean up, do you, Rag?"

"Ragnor, I know you're here." Clary walked past a painting and into the next room. "I just need to find my friends."

Shu stared at the painting, and with a small *click* it's eyes shifted to her. Shu raised an eyebrow, and Clary gasped before looking back the way she'd come. Shu turned to the stairwell to make sure she wasn't helping Clary, and Clary came back her way.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hm?" Shu asked innocently.

Clary looked to the painting of Ragnor, and saw his eyes were facing to the left. His eyes moved just slightly to stay on Clary in only a millisecond, and she smiled. "Nice try, Ragnor."

Then she reached into the painting and pulled him out onto the floor. He grunted and stood, patting himself down. "Well done, Clary Fairchild. I've been expecting you. You have Joselyn's talent, I see. Only a true artist could notice the subtle changes in my eyes."

Shu looked past him for a moment and then nodded before looking to Ragnor. "I agree."

"Yes, I  _know_ ," Ragnor complained. "I need to work on not moving my eyes. You don't need to  _remind_  me."

"You knew my mom?" Clary asked, and he nodded. "So you made the potion that put her to sleep?"

"At her request, yes, though I didn't do it alone. Of course, I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to me looking for an antidote."

"What do you mean you didn't do it alone?"

"Shu and I both made the potion, splitting up the work so that not only one person had the key to waking Joselyn. She wanted her potion to be absolutely foolproof."

"Shu?"

"I don't remember making the potion for Joselyn," She said honestly.

"Ah, that's where we find our dilemma," Ragnor said. "Please, sit."

"My friends," Clary said. "Jace Wayland and Magnus Bane. They were with me, but I lost them in the fire."

"Let me do this  _my_  way!" Ragnor shouted, though not at Clary. "Your friends, are they true?"

"Magnus said he's known you for centuries."

"He and I sent you a fire message," Shu agreed.

"This is not an act. It is  _not_  an act! It is essential!"

"Okay, what's your deal?" Clary demanded. "My friends are missing and if you can't help me, I will find someone who can."

"What is it worth to you?"

"You find my friends and wake my mother…I'll give you anything."

"That's what I wanted to hear."

Ragnor snapped and Magnus and Jace appeared sitting in the chairs in the room.

Magnus sighed. "Honestly, Ragnor. Was that nonsense necessary?"

"Of course. She offered me anything. You were only up to a timeshare of your flat in Paris. Yawn. Even Shu said 'Everything, within reason.'"

Magnus gave a half-annoyed, half-amused look while Shu flat out smirked.

"All right, enough with the Warlock games," Clary said. "Can you  _really_  wake my mother?"

"Not without the Book of the White."

"What is the Book of the White?" Jace asked, also a bit ticked at Ragnor's game.

"It's an ancient book of Warlock magic containing spells more powerful than-" Magnus put a hand on Ragnor's shoulder. "-most Warlocks could ever imagine."

He patted Ragnor on the back and walked past.

"I possessed the book when your mother came to me, and I used its contents to create the potion. Regrettably, I…no longer have the book. I asked Joselyn and Shu to hide it that Valentine might never find it."

"I don't remember any of this," Shu protested.

"Shu, Ragnor, please, I have to get my mom back," Clary begged. "Is there any way to get the Book of the White?"

"Possibly," Ragnor said. "I may have something that can help us. Won't be but a moment."

He quickly hurried out of the room.

Clary sighed. "What do we do if he can't find the book?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jace said.

"It's a bit drab, isn't it?" Magnus asked, looking around the room.

"Not very tidy at the least," Shu agreed.

Ragnor suddenly screamed and they all looked up to see him on the balcony up a floor, fighting off a Shax demon. His hands were glowing with magic, and he was pushing it back, but not before he was stabbed in the neck by its pincer claws.

"Rag!"

Shu threw a small dagger and hit the Shax demon, forcing it off of Ragnor and disintegrating it, but not before Ragnor backed off of the balcony and fell down to the floor.

"Ragnor!" Magnus called.

They all hurried over to him, and Shu lifted his head as she and Magnus began trying to heal the wound.

"Creature took me…by surprise…" Ragnor mustered.

"How could a Shax demon get past Ragnor's wards?" Clary asked.

"It must have followed us," Jace said. "Jumped through when the firewall reset."

"Be still my little dear cabbage," Magnus muttered. "Your wounds are deep."

"Hold on, Rag," Shu begged. "Please…"

He reached his hand up to Magnus's face, gasping, before he began to fall limp.

"Rag. Ragnor, no!"

"No, no, no, no…" Magnus muttered.

But he fell still, his eyes still open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Just like that.

He was gone.

* * *

"For centuries, this man knew us better than anyone."

"All those years," Shu muttered. "All those years we knew him, all those adventures we shared. All those things we survived. Wiped out by a  _Shax demon_  of all things!"

"Magnus, Shu, I'm so sorry…" Clary muttered.

"We have to leave, now," Jace declared.

"We can't. Not until we find whatever it is Ragnor said could help us locate the Book of the White."

"It's too dangerous. If one Shax demon found us, you can bet there are more on the way."

"We have to try!"

"We don't have time to scour through mountains of Ragnor's stuff."

Shu took shaky breaths, holding back the tears in her eyes and blinking them away, before she snapped and a portal appeared through the doors of the room they'd come from.

"Get back to the Institute," Magnus ordered. "We'll transport everything back to our place and find what you need."

"Now leave us to take care of our friend," Shu said firmly.

"Magnus, Shu, I'm-" Clary began.

"Go!" They shouted together.

Jace and Clary walked through the portal and it disappeared behind them.

Shu bit her lip and closed her eyes, and Magnus's face tightened in anger. Shu wiped her eyes and took Magnus's hand. He looked to her and she nodded solemnly.

Together, they closed their friend's eyes.

* * *

Shu was hovering a ton of items in front of her and searching through them.

"Rag was never one for organization, was he. What is up with this? Can't snap a few bookshelves into existence. Or at least snap everything to be lined up, maybe?"

Magnus wasn't listening, looking to an old black and white photo of the three of them, along with Camille.

And then Ragnor appeared behind him.

"How I  _loath_  that photograph. I must remember, chin down, eyes up. Otherwise I look like a squinty toad."

"You don't look  _that_  bad," Shu tried.

"Thank you, my dear, but I do."

It took Magnus a surprisingly long amount of time to realize what was happening. "You're here," He muttered.

"You didn't think you'd be rid of me  _that_  easily, did you?" He scoffed and reached to touch the side of Magnus's neck. "Oh, my dear friend, I will  _always_  be here for you. Now please, put away that horrid photograph. It commemorates a night I'd rather forget." He walked over and sat in one of the chairs. "Oh, how I had to comfort you."

"Both of us, Rag," Shu said, taking her own seat. "You're not the only one who walked Magnus through that."

"How I loved her," Magnus said. "I prayed she would love me the same, but she just laughed. To Camille, immortals aren't supposed feel true love."

"So cynical," Shu muttered.

"Camille broke my heart."

"And I broke her nose. It obviously didn't stick, but I'd imagine it still hurt."

"You  _let_  her break your heart, my friend," Ragnor said. "You're immortal…but she killed you."

Magnus hesitated, before looking up, but the chair Ragnor had been in was empty.

"You saw that, right?" He confirmed.

"I wasn't talking to the wind," Shu said. "We're soul bonded, remember? I saw him, Mags. I heard him. But did you?"

He paused before reaching for his phone and pulling up Alec's contact and calling him. He moved to put the phone to his ear, but then stopped halfway. He ended the call and set his phone down again, letting out a deep sigh.

Shu stood and walked behind him, leaning down to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hug him. Between them, not a word was shared. And yet they both understood what they were saying.

* * *

Magnus picked up a small ukulele with a weirdly-shaped body.

He strummed it, but the notes were completely out of tune.

"I wouldn't describe that as an instrument of music," Ragnor said. "An instrument of torture, perhaps."

"Oh, you never liked the charango," Shu said smiling.

"No, I did not," He agreed. "And I pray you don't play it. Death has already given me enough of a headache."

"Do you remember Imasu?" Magnus asked. "He played this so beautifully."

"Yeah, and you didn't," Shu confirmed.

"I'm surprised that lasted as long as it did," Ragnor said. "He was always so much better-looking than you."

He chuckled, and Magnus gave him a look before setting the instrument down beside him.

"I don't understand why you didn't go after the boy. I'm certain with very little effort you could have won him back."

Magnus shook his head. "No. Imasu wanted more than I can give."

He poured himself a drink and sighed. "Maybe Camille was right. I  _am_  immortal. I can party and have fun to my heart's content without the anchors of love around my feet."

"You are  _not_  Camille," Shu said.

"And though I know you may not believe me, someday, someone will come along who  _will_  tear down those walls you've built around your heart," Ragnor declared.

"You can try to resist, but once it's true, there's nothing to be done."

"And when that love comes back to you, you must do  _everything_  in your power to  _fight_  for it," He concluded.

Magnus hesitated, but the gears turning in his head were obvious.

He then stood, setting his drink down, a smile forming across his face.

"Going somewhere?" Ragnor asked.

"Even in death…you give the best advice," Magnus admitted.

"Be nice if you took it more than once every 300 years."

Magnus swallowed and looked away, trying to keep his rising sadness down, and when he turned back, Ragnor was once again gone.

* * *

Shu was playing the guitar as the people began to crowd into the Institute where all of the things for Alec's wedding was set up.

" _There's method in my madness~  
_ " _There's no logic in your sadness~_  
 _"_ _You don't gain a single thing from misery~_  
" _Take it from me~_

Once she'd finished the song, Izzy came up to her while she was taking a drink of water.

"Oh my gosh, Shu? Is that you?"

Shu's hair had been curled, her face had more makeup than normal (as in she had makeup on at all) she was wearing a black dress and boots, as well as a necklace with a silver ring covered in odd symbols, possibly runes, but nothing Izzy had ever seen. What really surprised Izzy, however, was the fact that runes could be seen flowing across her exposed skin.

"Yeah, Izzy."

"You're all runed up, I see."

"Yeah I…I figured since this is a big event for the Shadowhunters and the Clave and whatnot that I'd fit in a little better as a Shadowhunter than a Warlock."

Thinking it was nothing but a glamour, Izzy smiled. "Well, you've mastered the art of drawing runes. No one would know anything."

"Thanks."

Izzy gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"I nearly didn't come. I kinda snapped my way into this as well as in here as fast as I could."

"I heard about Ragnor. Are you okay?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine. Can we just…not?"

Izzy nodded. "Of course. So, is Magnus coming too?"

"Don't know. He should've been here by now if he was, but maybe he's having second thoughts. Don't give up hope, though. He could just be fashionably late. He can portal his way here, anyway. Grand entrance, and all."

Izzy smiled and nodded. "Well thank you for accepting my invite and coming to play."

"No problem. Countless years to get acquainted with instruments and music, I'm always excited to have a gig."

"Well you are excellent."

She looked over to the entering guests. "Ugh, the formal people are coming in, including my parents. Do you think you could play some more classical music?"

"No problem. The violin is one of my favorite instruments."

"Thanks."

She nodded and Izzy headed off to see more people while Shu summoned her violin with magic discreetly and began to play.

She had felt Magnus's doubt creeping in, she still could. Once he came, there was no going back. Not to mention if Alec continued to deny him, he'd be coming to see one of the most painful scenes he'd face this century, no doubt.

Not to mention the fact that there were a lot of officials from the Clave here, and if Alec was worried about approval before, now would not be the best time to start considering his love for Magnus to be serious.

And Maryse.

She would not be fun to deal with.

"Still rivals 'father,'" Shu muttered.

* * *

When the ceremony was about to begin, everyone rushed to get to their seats. Simon came in to join Clary, having been late since he'd been forced to leave at sunset with the whole vampire thing.

One of the Silent Brothers, Jeremiah, banged his staff on the ground, and everyone quickly took their seats, Shu ceasing her music.

" _Attention. The ceremony is about to commence._ "

Everyone looked to the back of the room as Izzy came walking down with the ceremonial objects for the woman, everyone smiling to her. She took her place, and then Shu snapped, rose petals falling down onto the isle from seemingly just the ceiling.

Now, Lydia walked into view, holding her bouquet and wearing her beautiful wedding dress, a smile overtaking her face. Alec swallowed nervously upon seeing her, and everyone smiled to her as she walked down the isle to Alec. He offered a hand as she climbed up the steps and she happily accepted, standing in front of him.

Izzy, looking slightly hesitant about what was happening in front of her, offered up the objects in her hand, and Lydia took the bracelet, putting it onto Alec's wrist. Jace, who had already been standing behind Alec with the objects for him, allowed Alec to grab the necklace to put onto Lydia.

" _It is time for Alec Lightwood and Lydia Branwell to mark each other with the Wedded Union rune,_ " Jeramiah declared.

Alec's parents shared a proud glance towards each other, while Izzy, Jace, Clary, and Shu all had more stoic and hesitant looks. It was time, wasn't it?

And Magnus still hadn't arrived.

" _A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart. A union is born._ "

Jeramiah waved his staff towards the large ceremonial crystal, a rune appearing. Lydia took the stele from Izzy and tapped it to the stone, before it began to glow brighter and steam. She took a deep breath before taking Alec's hand as he pulled up his sleeve to his wrist.

She was about to touch the stele to his skin, when the doors banged open loudly and she pulled it back in surprise, everyone looking to the back of the room as Magnus rushed in. He slowed when he saw what was happening, merely standing at the end of the aisle.

Alec could only stare, Lydia lowering the stele with an accepting look on her face.

Maryse turned and glared. "What's that Warlock doing here?"

Everyone looked to find Alec unable to take his eyes off Magnus. Shu smiled, and Izzy scoffed in surprise.

"Izzy, did Alec invite Magnus?" Jace whispered.

"I did," She said, unable to hide her smile. "But I didn't think he'd show."

Maryse saw Alec's resolve wavering and stood, stomping down the aisle. "Magnus, leave this wedding now-"

"Maryse, this is between me and your son," Magnus said firmly, shushing her. "I'll leave if he asks me to."

With that, he walked past her about halfway down the aisle, watching and awaiting what Alec would do.

"You gonna be okay, buddy?" Jace asked.

Lydia sighed, though she still had a smile on her face. "Alec?"

He tore his eyes away from Magnus, expecting to get on with the ceremony.

"Hey," She said with a small chuckle.

He took a deep breath. "I…I can't breathe," He muttered.

"I know. It's okay."

He paused once more, but finally shook his head. "I can't do this. I thought we were doing the right thing, but…this isn't it."

"You don't have to explain," She said, a small bit of disappointment on her face, but mostly genuine understanding.

"Lydia, I'm sorry."

"Hey…" She reached to touch the side of his neck reassuringly. "You deserve to be happy. Okay? I'll be fine."

She nodded, and he did the same but with a shaky breath. She moved her hand to his shoulder and turned him so that he was facing Magnus, biting her lip but letting him go.

Alec stared to Magnus, everyone watching to see what he'd do. After a moment of pause, he stepped forward, going down the two steps without taking his eyes off of Magnus and pausing once more.

Magnus's eyebrows raised slightly in curiosity, but he managed to keep the rest of his face stoic.

Then, Alec stepped forward once more.

Seeing this, Maryse rushed past Magnus. "Alec, what are you doing-?"

"Enough," He declared, passing by her without breaking stride.

With that, he marched up to Magnus, grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him into a kiss that both of them needed desperately, Magnus's hand instinctively moving around Alec's waist to pull him closer.

Lydia sighed sadly, Jace gave a surprised smile, Izzy gave a proud smile, Simon and Clary gave happy smiles, Shu was grinning from ear to ear, and Maryse was gasping in horror.

Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

* * *

"You never cease to amaze me, Alec," Magnus said breathlessly.

"Yeah," He sighed. "What'd I just do?"

They looked over to his parents, and Maryse was basically glaring daggers at them. Then, without a word, she stomped off. Alec's father followed her, probably wanting to make sure she didn't murder someone.

Izzy quickly hurried over, smiling. "Alec, I am  _so_  proud of you."

He had looked scared of Izzy's reaction, but a smile made it's way across his face.

"Thank goodness I didn't have to kill someone in the near future," Shu said. "But this'll be a fun one to tell the kids someday, huh?"

"I am looking forward to the day you have children less and less," Magnus said.

She could only chuckle and wrap him in a tight hug. "I'm happy for you Mags. But way to beat the buzzer, man."

Simon walked up, and suddenly Alec's smile from his sister and Shu's approval seemed to turn more worried, mostly because he knew Simon might rant about something embarrassing. Even Izzy, Magnus and Shu began to get confused looks as he began to speak.

"Guys, that was incredible. It was like watching the live version of The Graduate. You know, the Dustin Hoffman movie? The amazing one."

He pointed to Magnus, who recoiled slightly at what was going on.

"You were Ben. Elaine!" He cheered and pointed to Alec. "And you were Elaine! I mean a…a taller, masculine, handsome version of her, but…but the alter, though. You were like-"

He turned to the side and imitated standing facing someone at the alter and turning his head on shock. "Ben!"

" ** _Do you know what's happening?_** " Magnus asked, trying to keep an enduring look on his face.

Alec didn't look much better. In fact, Magnus was keeping his face more stoic than he was.

" ** _Three hundred years of you, and I still can't say that I do. Mundanes get weirder and weirder._** "

" ** _He's not really a mundane anymore._** "

" ** _Then I fear what the vampires are going to become._** "

Simon returned to normal. "A-And then…and then now you're both sitting on the bus at the end of the movie, both totally stoked, but wondering, like, 'What are we gonna do now?' You know?"

"Okay, uh, Simon, hon?" Shu asked. "I've lived through Shakespeare's time so I… _know_  cringe-worthy acting, but please stop. You're making me regret all my life choices."

"Who invited the vampire?" Alec asked.

"Seriously?" Simon asked, his face dropping.

"Clary," Shu guessed.

Magnus snapped. "Oh, which reminds me."

He pointed to Shu. " ** _I've finished sorting through Ragnor's things._** "

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. " ** _So_ that's _why you were late. Portals leave no excuses, young man._** "

"Am I missing something?" Izzy asked.

"Private thing," Magnus explained. "Just be a moment."

He slipped past her and over to where Clary and Jace were talking.

"What's up?" Izzy asked.

"Personal stuff," Shu said.

"You two can telepathically communicate? Why hasn't this come up in conversation before?"

"You never asked. Besides, we don't do it 24/7. We can't do it  _all_  the time, or else we'd go insane with each other's thoughts swirling about in each other's heads, obviously. And Magnus's head is a confusing place to say the least. Although he'd probably say the same for mine. Anyway, yeah. Telepathy is cool, but not when overdone."

"Much as this will shock Alec, my visit tonight wasn't all for him," Magnus said to Clary and Jace. "We need to speak privately."


	9. Searching For the Book of the White

Magnus waved his hand and swept his magic across the long table. Objects from Ragnor's things began appearing as the flames of his magic burned down the length of the wood and then finished at the end.

"We pulled every item of magical importance from Ragnor's belongings. But, I can't determine which will lead to the Book of the White."

The Jace and Alec went for the weapons, a dagger and a sword respectively, while Magnus picked up a cup and Clary went for a pen.

"I didn't see this while I was searching," Shu admitted.

She reached for a box.

"The box is sealed closed with magic that isn't Ragnor's," Magnus explained.

"Yeah, I can tell."

She moved to the latch and it clicked open with ease.

"That's odd. Thought it'd be harder than that."

She opened it, and suddenly a black smoke came flowing out, moving to the side of the table before transforming into the shape of a person.

Instantly, Alec and Jace were reaching for weapons that weren't there, as they were still in their wedding outfits, and Magnus and Clary took a step back.

"Ugh, and I was just about to get a nice meal," Charon muttered.

"Chare?" Shu asked.

"A little warning next time you summon me, Namir. Almost gave me a heart attack. If I had a heart. Last time I agree to allow you to summon me with a box. I'd get a phone and allow you to call me every time you needed me rather than just be ripped out of whatever the hell I was doing before. It's almost as bad as summing circles, where I'm stuck there unless I make a deal. Ugh."

"I don't understand. You…you were summoned when I opened the box?"

"See, I take memories for a reason, and usually ditch before I have to deal with all this."

He waved his hand to motion to her face and she slapped him away. "Why did Ragnor have a way to summon you?"

"Quite the contrary, it was  _you_  who left the box with him and made sure no one could open it except you, and you had to do it willingly, too, with all your pure-hearted Scooby Doo club around as well."

"I'll try not to take offense to that," Magnus said.

"I didn't mean you, Warlock. Anyone over a century old and still looks like a 19-year-old has my stamp of approval. I'm happy to make business with you, Bane, but no more pentagrams next time. They're just uncomfortable."

"Back to the subject," Shu demanded. "Why did I leave a way to summon you? What did I have you take away from me?"

"Mems of making that potion thingy-ma-bobber to put Joselyn to sleep. Overcomplicated plan, in my opinion. I would've just done a sleeping curse. Y'all were  _seriously_  desperate to make sure that woman stayed comatose."

"What must I do to get these memories returned to me?"

"Nothin' little lady."

He held out his hand and flicked his wrist, a necklace appearing in his hand, an oval-shaped gem on a leather cord, each midnight black. He offered it to her, but she stood firm.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You already paid your ransom earlier when you asked for them to be taken away. The deal was I took 'em, kept 'em safe, and then returned 'em when you wanted 'em back and had Joselyn in safe custody. Circumstances fulfilled, I wanna get this little deal over with and go get a snack."

"What did I pay you to have such an agreement made?"

"That's the great thing about a memory demon, sweetheart. You'll never have to know."

"But I want to."

"See, this is why I like simple, one-shot deals, no long-term stuff where I have to give stuff back. Look, I keep the mem of what you lost, you don't get to miss it. Be happy I'm not taking back the mem that you paid up in the first place and not just dropping the thing on the table for you to find instead of the box."

"Why wouldn't you do that?"

"I like people to know I did them a service. Make sure they keep that in mind. I hold up my end of deals."

She looked to the offered pendant hesitantly, before slowly reaching out to take it. He nodded with a smile. "Besides, I won't pass an opportunity to visit you."

He stepped back, leaving the pendant with her. "Not every day a demon gets into the Institute of Shadowhunters without being prisoner," He continued.

"Yeah, well we should be arresting you right now," Jace said.

"First off, you're unarmed, kid. Second off, I can nope it out of here any time I want before you can even take a step towards those weapons hidden over there in the wall behind me. Third, I make clean deals. I'm just here for her and no one else. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean you goody-two-shoes get to attack me when I mean no harm. That's what we all call segregation. Not that you Shadowhunters aren't guilty of it, but I hear you're supposed to be the good ones. I'd keep it that way, if I were you. I'll be on my way, if you hate me so much."

He turned to Shu and put up a finger phone to his ear. "Give me a ring when you need me again."

With that, a swirl of black magic wisps swirled around him from the floor up, and once it dissipated, he was gone.

* * *

"I…don't know how to activate this thing," Shu admitted. "I thought it'd be touch and go, maybe just put it on, but it's not working."

Jace sighed. "Is there anything else here that might help? You keep working on the pendant, but we're gonna have to assume that guy isn't trustworthy."

"Wait, this bookmark," Clary said, reaching for said bookmark made of a cloth with a fancy pattern. "I've seen it before. In the alternate dimension, you showed me a book of spells and this was in it. It must've been the Book of the White."

"If that's the case, we can use the bookmark to track the owner of the book," Alec pointed out.

Jace nodded. "Okay."

He reached for the bookmark, but Magnus snatched it up instead. "Warlock tracking is stronger."

"We can get over that pesky water problem you boys have," Shu agreed.

Magnus took a deep breath and concentrated, he and Shu closing their eyes.

Together, they saw a shaking coffin chained up, and the image zoomed in to reveal a very pissed off Camille banging on the coffin lid. " _Let me out of here! LET ME OUT OF HERE!_ "

Magnus opened his eyes with a small gasped and looked to Shu, who had her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, then."

"What?" Clary asked. "Did you see the owner of the book?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news," Magnus admitted.

"The good news is we know the owner," Shu said. "The bad?"

"It's Camille."

"Camille?" Clary repeated.

"Looks like Raphael has her locked up in the basement of the Hotel DuMort."

She sighed. "Well, after I punched her, there's no way she'll help me."

"Yeah, girl," Shu said smiling, offering a fist bump.

Everyone gave her a look and she turned defensive. " _What?!_  Punching Camille is one of my favorite pass-time hobbies. I broke her nose once."

"She won't have a choice but to help," Jace declared.

They all gave him a confused look, but he kept his eyes focused on Clary. "Trust me."

After another moment of silence, he shifted awkwardly from the attention, realizing he had a crowd, and walked off.

* * *

Alec shifted nervously, pacing around, Magnus barely restraining his smile as he thought about what had just happened between them. Alec did seem nervous, but at the same time he seemed more relaxed. He seemed like he'd had a big weight lifted off his shoulders.

Shu was fiddling with the necklace Charon had given her, still trying to figure it out as she leaned against the wall. He gave her the memories, but didn't tell her that they were somehow locked. There had to be some kind of specific condition that had to be met before her memories would be returned. Perhaps it had something to do with Camille.

Shu knew herself well enough after thousands of years of life, and she knew that if she wanted to keep something from herself, she would never make something a one-step process. Charon had to have been telling the truth then: it  _was_  her who wanted her memories taken by him. Not that she had really doubted him, inside, whether she stayed skeptical on the outside or not.

"I'm so glad we got away from that  _crowd_ , all those people," Alec said. "So intense."

Magnus shook his head, letting out his smile, not of some kind of coy satisfaction, but of pure joy that he could barely comprehend. "I have to hand it to you, Alexander. You certainly know how to make a statement."

Alec smiled back to him, before they heard footsteps approaching and turned to have that smile wiped away in an instant. Magnus turned and walked over to Shu as Alec confronted his parents.

"What have you done, Alec?" Maryse demanded. "To us, this family?"

"This isn't about you," Alec stated.

"Of course it is. You're either being selfish or naïve. This wedding was your plan from the start, and now you have humiliated us in front of the most respected members of the Clave. I don't even recognize you anymore."

Magnus shifted nervously, and Shu put her hand on his arm reassuringly. This was Alec's choice, and he deserved to be happy, no matter what the rest of the world said. If that was with Magnus, then the world could blame her brother all they wanted, but all he did was encourage Alec to follow his heart. Live his own life, not everyone else's.

"I'm the same person I've always been," Alec argued. "Now everything's just out in the open."

Maryse eyed Magnus, who lowered his head, feeling her gaze. "And all for a Downworlder," She spat.

With that, she turned and stomped off. Magnus eyed her as she left, and Shu rested her head on his shoulder.

" ** _What's done is done,_** " She told him. " ** _I believe you did the right thing. Alec's making his own choices now. You've freed him from a life of being a slave to others, his obligations._** "

" ** _At what cost? He might lose his family, his job, his life-_** "

" ** _And do you think he would've been any happier with all of that if he had gone through with the marriage? 'I'd rather fight and lose than give up without even trying.' You remember when you said_   _that_ _? We were fighting that demon who wanted the two of us dead, back in the early days, around the time we'd met._** "

" ** _I believe it involved a few more choice words, but yes._** "

" ** _Point is, t_** ** _he Magnus Bane I know doesn't run from a fight. Don't you dare start now._** "

" ** _Maybe me, but Alec's the one who has something to lose. Just because I don't flee doesn't mean I'm above 'Charging in the opposite direction.'_** "

" ** _We can't change what's been done. All you have to do now is decide whether you're willing to fight the odds, or whether you're gonna give up._** "

"Just give her time," Alec's father said.

They both watched Maryse storming off, knowing that if time was going to heal anything, it was gonna take a lot of it.

"And you?" Alec asked.

He sighed. "I don't really understand this. But I suppose our world is changing."

He looked over to eye Magnus. "How long has this been going on? Are…you two in… _love?_ " He asked hesitantly.

Alec scoffed nervously. "Love? What? No. No it's…it's uh…it's sort of different…it's uh-"

"It's all very new," Shu broke in.

"And you are…?"

"Asushunamir. I'm Magnus's…well, uh…"

"Sibling," Magnus cut in.

"Sibling," She agreed. "I just want Magnus happy. And Alec too. I want them both to just…be happy. Let them choose what happiness is to them, encourage them to pursue that happiness. There was a lot of happy in that statement…"

He eyed the three of them with an awkward nod. "Right."

He patted Alec on the arm. "I better go check on Mom."

Alec sighed, and Magnus struggled to find something to say.

"You know what I just realized?" He asked. "We still haven't gone on our first date yet."

Alec smiled and looked to him with a scoff. "Yeah. You're right. You wanna…I don't know. Get a drink sometime?"

Magnus smiled. "I would love that."

He nodded. "Great."

He paused in thought. "Sibling?"

"Sibling," Shu confirmed. "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"We're not siblings by blood-"

"-but we still share a parent," Magnus finished. "Ish. Not to mention the bond thing."

"Bond?"

"It's long."

"And complicated," Shu added.

"How complicated?" Alec asked.

"Overcomplicated."

"Story of my life, really," Magnus muttered.

"Really, really long explanation. Promise to tell you sometime."

* * *

Alec sighed and walked up to his mother, who was working on a tablet. "Have you spoken with Lydia? No one's seen her since the wedding."

His mother didn't reply, tapping her tablet.

"Mom, come on."

Her husband walked up. "Maryse…"

"Mom, I understand you're upset, but this is-"

She set her tablet down. "Calling off the wedding would've been one thing…but  _kissing_  that Warlock in front of the entire Institute? You've embarrassed all of us."

"Why? Because he's a guy?"

"No. The fact that he is a  _guy_ , as you say, is the least of my worries."

Alec eyed his father, but he seemed to be on his mom's side at the moment.

"Then what's the problem?"

"That you chose  _Magnus Bane_."

"His reputation proceeds him," Alec's father agreed. "And even for a Warlock, he's a bit of a lothario. Alec, there's  _so much_  that you don't know about him."

"It's  _your_  reputation they're worried about," Shu muttered.

"Would you stop eavesdropping?" Magnus requested. "Let Alec and his parents deal with their things alone."

"Well then, I plan to  _get_  to know him," Alec continued. "And if you have a problem with that, then I suggest you deal with it. Now, I have to go find Lydia."

"She's probably packing for Idris in your father's office," Maryse said harshly. "What she did-"

"Saved my life. So I should go  _thank_  her."

With that, Alec walked off.

Shu sighed. "No more secrets from Alec, okay? Well…we can probably laugh off the stele thing someday, but now would not be a good time to mention it. Just try and keep things honest."

"What did you see?"

"What I told you. They're worried about your reputation. Prove that you love him, Maggie. Don't you dare let this one get away."

"Why do I get the feeling you want this relationship even more than I do?"

"Please, hon. Izzy and I shipped that boat before it even made it to the harbor. And…basically all of the fandoms do as well…but not the point. You and Alec belong together, I can sense it, but like I said. It's not gonna be easy. Right now, keeping honest is the best way to keep him, and everyone else against this, at bay."

Magnus slowly paced back and forth. "What about Maryse? Any ideas on how to handle that?"

"Stay on her good side? Only time could possibly crack that nut. Just prove to her that you and Alec are serious. Keep things going with him, prove how much you care and how much what Alec did meant to you. Make sure that it she can't say 'I told you so.' Show her, and Alec, and everyone else, that you are not going to make this sacrifice go to waste. That you're willing to fight through whatever comes your way. I'll be here for you the entire trip, whether you like it or not, so chin up."

Alec came walking down the corridor with a sigh.

"So? On a scale of Dingo to Penance? How unpleasant was it?"

"What?"

"Sorry. One to ten."

"Off the charts either way," Alec said. "Yeah, I've never seen them so angry."

"Just give them some time," Magnus recommended.

"You're immortal. Time is on your side," He pointed out, beginning to walk them down the corridor. "After what I did, I don't think they'll ever forgive me."

"Don't underestimate a parent's love."

He slowed and Alec stopped, turning to face him.

"You don't…regret it, do you?"

He sighed. "Everything happened so fast. I didn't have time to think."

"When we can't think, it's usually when we make the decisions our hearts want, for better or worse," Shu said.

"I just wanna make sure Lydia's okay. Now I owe her so much."

" _We_  owe her," Magnus corrected. "What she did was nothing short of heroic."

Alec looked down with a nod.

"Hey, look, maybe we can slow things down. Why don't we start with that date you owe me?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Let's do that."

Shu walked over to the door to the head office and turned the handle.

"I know this great Ethiopian place on 44th-" Magnus began.

"Lydia!"

Alec hurried past Shu to Lydia, who was knocked out atop a smashed table. Magnus checked her neck for a pulse and then nodded, before Alec took her hand and pushed up her sleeve to activate one of her runes with his stele.

"Go get help, he ordered."

Magnus nodded and ran out.

"You're gonna be okay," Alec assured her.

"Hodge…" She choked out.

* * *

"You're tough, girl," Shu said. "Survived a serious blow. We'll get you up in no time. I've healed worse, believe me."

"No doubt. You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?"

"That look when people are trying to burry things they'd rather forget, but in the end, don't want to."

"There's a look to that?"

"You're older than me. I'd say you should know it better than I do. And I see it every time I look in a mirror."

Shu sighed and sat down on Lydia's bed. "Yeah. Maybe there is. But when you've got millennia to work on it, you'd think it changes."

"Loss and misery are a part of everyone. There's no way to get rid of that look in your eyes."

"Well, I have to thank you. For what you did for Alec. Alec and Magnus were coming to thank you as well, before, you know."

"Alec deserves to be happy. I knew that the marriage was mostly for his family. He wanted to keep his parents happy, his sister, his little brother. I saw how far he was willing to go for that. I wasn't going to argue with him over the wedding, not if that's what he wanted, and I knew he wasn't in the wrong for doing what he was. I also could see that he was trying to hide his true feelings, but having a pretty hard time."

"Much harder than with the guy he liked before Magnus. Means it's gotta be true, right? And you don't know the half of what it took Magnus to watch what was happening right before his eyes. When you're immortal, you think you can get over stuff like that, especially if you have experience with heartbreak. But I've never seen Mags so…in love. Letting Alec go, being so okay with the ceremony literally moments before you were about to place the runes? I heard about what happened to your previous husband, and so…I don't know what else I can possibly do to thank you for what you did. I doubt I would've been able to console Magnus if things hadn't worked out. He's never loved someone like he does Alec, and I can vouch for that since I've been with him for centuries."

"I knew Alec wasn't truthfully happy. If he was finally ready to admit how he felt, do what  _he_  wanted and start being honest with himself, start being willing to fight for what he wanted, then who was I to stop him? I went along with the wedding even though I knew he was unhappy because that's what he wanted, but he wasn't being honest with himself, and everyone seemed to understand that except him."

"How many of us in the world really are? I've seen a lot of things, a lot of people, and I've studied the way people act. There's always been something that someone has to hide, even if they're doing it without realizing it, because society wouldn't accept them that way. Even small things, like being a more serious person in a group of less serious ones. Mundanes have social norms, and others just don't understand sometimes."

"What about you? Can I ask what it is you keep inside?"

"You can ask, sure. It's a lot. A lot of things that I've buried with time. Only Magnus has a clue as to what's happened to me in my past, and even he doesn't know the half of it. I keep it from him for his own protection, and he understands that."

"I can't tell you what to do, but I can share my experience. Telling someone always seems to help, whether you believe it will or not."

"I've tried before. Feels less like help and more like tearing open a healing wound."

"Like I said. I can't order you around. It's just a thought to keep in mind."

"I gotta go, but thank you again."

"Give Magnus and Alec my best."

"I will."

"And consider what I said."

"I'll try."


	10. Hated Child

_"Mama?" A little girl asked nervously._

_"What?!" Her mother snapped._

_"I-I brought the firewood."_

_"Why tell me this? Just get it in the fireplace already."_

_She nodded and ran past to the hearth, throwing in the timber and grabbing the flint, clicking the rocks together a couple times before she got a spark_.

My mother hated me. It would be a long time before I realized just why.

_The little girl could've been no older than five, yet she went out and carried in a bucket of water twice her size with little effort. The biggest inconvenience wasn't so much the size as it was the awkward angle she had to carry it at._

_She set the large bucket of water down and took a pot, filling it with some of the water and putting it over the fire. She then began to hand-wash the laundry with the remaining water. Her mother completely neglected her as she worked._

She never cared much about me. Every day I feared she might kick me out of her house entirely. I worked hard to try and gain her affection, or at least her respect. But nothing worked.

_"What are you sitting around here for, girl?!" The mother snapped. "Don't dally around in my house while there's work to be done on the crops!"_

_Despite knowing that there was nothing really to be done, as the girl had completed all of her chores hours ago, she ran out the door in an effort to escape her mother. There were times when she wished not to be abandoned, and many others where she looked to what freedom she could get._

_"Where are you going, child?"_

There was this man that I knew. He'd always be nice to me.

_"You like flowers?"_

_She nodded._

_"Here."_

_He passed her a small rose, and she recoiled in fear. It was red as blood, and she had bled many times in the past._

_But when she eventually took the plant, she saw it wasn't blood. It didn't smell that way._

_He warned her about thorns, but they didn't bother her._

_"I'm getting married," The man said._

_"Mare-eee-d?"_

_"Yes."_

_He pulled a ring off one of his fingers, and she looked to it curiously. He let her take it, and she saw that it was much too large for her finger._

He was the only reason I survived living with my mother.

_The small girl was hit back with a whip. Her cheek bled where she'd been struck, but the wound began healing immediately. Even as she received multiple attacks, they weren't concentrated, her mother not a trained expert on the weapon. Why she even had a whip in the first place was questionable, but who was she to question anything to her mother?_

_She was kicked across the room, holding back any cries of pain for fear of worse punishment._

_"You worthless devil child! How many times have I told you to not touch my things without permission?!"_

_She didn't say anything. All she'd wanted to do was wash her mother's clothes, as she was assigned to do, along with all the other chores around their small household. Not that she wasn't used to a lashing of some kind. And she knew excuses would get her nowhere, so she bit her tongue and took the attacks as her wounds healed._

_"It's your fault all of this happened! I was once rich, blessed by the divine deities themselves! But you_ _…you took that all away when you were born!"_

_At the time, she would not understand what her mother was talking about. She was born the way she was, she had no knowledge of any other way to live._

Over a decade, I grew up with that every day. Nothing compared to what came afterwards, however.

_When the dark man came to her mother, she pointed to her daughter, now thirteen years old. Instantly, the young girl was grabbed with a tight grip on her arm._

_"What's going on?! Mama!"_

_"Get her out of my sight! I don't care what the hell you do with her, just never curse me with her again!"_

_"Mama! Mama, help me!"_

_Her mother didn't react with a hint of mercy. The young Warlock was dragged away despite her struggles and protests._

_"Mama! MAMA!"_

_"Settle down, bitch!"_

_She was punched hard in the side of the head by the man pulling her away, leading her to another group of them who all worked to restrain her._

_Desperation transformed to anger. Rage boiled within her at the woman who had never treated her with kindness, not like the man she'd grown to love. Thanks to him, she knew what kindness was, and she knew what hatred was in comparison._

_She screamed, she wanted her mother to burn. She wanted these men taking her away to burn. She wanted it all to suffer and die!_

_She let out a piercing scream, let out everything that had built within her since she was born. She tossed the man at her left arm to the ground, flipping his larger frame completely over her shoulder despite the painful angle he'd been restraining her at, and causing him to explode to dust upon impact with the ground._

_She grabbed the man at her other arm and swung him into another with a sickening crunch, causing them to disintegrate into ashes as well. More men converged on her, but she was out of their control. She sent out a pure wave of energy, her eyes and hand glowing with her Warlock marks as everyone within a large city's radius were obliterated under her wrath._

_The men around her began shouting in pain, and her mother wasn't any different. She watched them suffer, scream, die, and enjoyed it._

* * *

"Shu."

"Hm?"

"You're brooding again. Brooding doesn't look good on you."

"I think it's more the other way around. I brood all the time. It's you who it would look weird on."

"Yes, but you're brooding is making me brood. Have we not established this yet?"

"We have." She sighed. "Sorry. What's the plan from here to find the book?"

"That talkative vampire kid, Alexander's sister, and the Fairchild girl are going to look for Camille while Alexander and the Wayland boy are off looking for that Hodge teacher of theirs that stole the cup."

"We should probably get to Camille. The other's don't understand her like we do. Doing business with her doesn't sound like something those impulsive kids are gonna be able to handle themselves."

"Right. Let's head…"

"Do you sense that?"

"Oh, don't tell me they-?"

"I told you that 1% were idiots."

* * *

"So, Magnus, Shu, how long has it been?" Camille asked. "One hundred? One hundred fifty years?"

"One hundred thirty eight," Shu corrected.

"Oddly, we haven't missed you," Magnus said.

Camille turned, smiling. "Of course you have, my love."

"All right, you three can catch up later," Clary said. "Right now we need to find the Book of the White."

"And you will. But not without payment." She eyed Magnus. "You of all people should understand that."

"Of course. And what is it you require?"

"A clean slate."

"She wants a Writ of Turning-Me-Into-A-Vampire," Simon explained.

"And we need you to draft it," Clary finished.

Magnus let out a humorless smile. "I thought I was done with you."

"We'll never be done with each other," Camille said, returning the look.

"Fine by me," Shu said, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm gonna call for backup," Izzy whispered before walking out of the room.

"Simon, can I talk to you for a minute?" Clary requested, taking him out of the room as well.

"Let's get this contract over with," Shu said, walking into the next room and getting some enchanted paper. "Here. Once signed, the contract is binding and official."

She tossed it onto the table and Magnus sighed. He held his hand over the paper as his magic swept from his palm down to the enchanted parchment. The words began to form onto the page and solidified into place, Camille watching Magnus carefully.

"You're still upset by my dalliance with that short-lived Russian?" She asked.

"Upset?  _N_ _o,_ " Magnus said. "I gave up feeling anything for you over a century ago. I'm positive Shu hasn't, however it's not love that she feels towards you."

"Love is fleeting. Even more so when you're immortal."

"And yet true love cannot die."

"But people can."

"People are more than just toys for your amusement."

"Hundreds of years old and still so naïve. You wouldn't know what to do with love if you found it."

Magnus tried to keep his face straight and looked back down to the finished contract on the table.

She circled around behind him. "Or do you think you already have?"

"Camille…" Shu warned.

Magnus didn't turn around to her, but she was distracted as she sniffed the air. "Angel blood."

Magnus's eyes rose in realization, before Camille suddenly turned him around and pulled him down into a kiss, allowing him to break away only a moment later, but the damage had already been done. Shu already had a sword drawn from nowhere, and was ready to stab that undead bitch, but was distracted when Magnus looked over to see Alec and Izzy walking in.

"Well, this is…awkward."

"Where's the book?" Alec demanded.

Magnus opened his mouth to speak, trying to recompose himself. "It's complicated."

"Clearly."

"Camille has it," Shu said.

"And she's graciously offered it in exchange for her freedom," Magnus added.

"And her freedom requires a lip-lock?" Izzy asked.

"Oh no, but I'd be happy to punch her for it," Shu said.

"We don't negotiate with prisoners," Alec declared.

"Prisoner?" Camille asked, smiling. "I beg to disagree. You see I'm your only chance at saving the world. You need me."

Magnus made a 'She's crazy' motion with his finger, swirling it around near his temple before pointing at Camille.

"You certainly have a type, don't you, Magnus? He's cute. Too bad it won't last."

"Say that again,  _you_  won't last," Izzy threatened.

" ** _Can I punch her now?_** "

" ** _Not yet._** "

"I says he's about 20 years from male pattern baldness."

"And I'd say you're about 20 seconds away from another broken nose," Shu threatened.

Magnus had an 'Okay, hurry it up and get me  _out_  of this situation' look.

"I don't have time for this," Alec said. "Where's Clary?"

Magnus nervously pointed to the room behind him and Alec walked off.

" ** _Can I punch her_ now?**"

* * *

Once they arrived, Magnus opened the elevator gate with an eye-roll of exasperation as Camille sauntered through.

"Wow, you've got a lot of books," Alec commented.

"I've got a lot of time on my hands."

"Welcome home, Madame Belcourt," A servant said, walking up to her.

"This place creeps me out," Izzy said.

"Yeah," Alec agreed. "Let's check the perimeter."

"Good idea," Magnus said. "If I know Camille, she'll have a trick or three up her sleeve."

The two of them walked off.

* * *

Camille had Simon sign the contract, before revealing that she actually didn't know where the Book of the White was.

"Dot and Shu gave it to you," Clary reminded her.

"I'm sure it's here somewhere," Camille agreed. "But if the idea was to hide it, telling me would defeat the purpose."

"Of course we would," Shu muttered. "I'd never make finding something easy. Especially if I was hiding it from myself."

"You must've put it somewhere when I wasn't looking."

"So we have to search the whole apartment?" Clary asked.

"See? That's the spirit. Although I'd start now. I've got four more rooms just like this one."

Clary's phone rang, and it looked to be Jace. She walked off to answer it, while Shu rolled her eyes. "I'll go check one of the others."

* * *

"What other clues do we have?" Clary asked. "You had to have left  _some_  kind of clue."

"Maybe the clue has something to do with color, you know?" Simon suggested. "White is the absence of color, so…or is that black?

"Chicken cacciatore," Shu said. "Joselyn would make it all the time."

They looked over and saw she'd pulled out a cookbook and opened it to Chicken cacciatore.

"Even better the next day," Simon mused. "It's the gift that keeps on giving."

"Maybe more than we realized," Clary said, noticing the end of a familiar ripped off bookmark at the top of the page.

Clary pulled out the bookmark that they'd recovered from Ragnor and saw that the tear lined up exactly. Shu put her hand to the severed ends and they began to glow, sealing together. The rest of the book then began to shimmer, the pages transforming from a cooking recipe to pages filled with ancient runes and symbols.

"This is it," Shu declared.

"We did it!" Simon exclaimed, embracing Clary in a hug.

"We gotta go," Izzy called from the doorway. "He's here."

"I'll go find Magnus and Alec," Shu said, turning to walk off in the opposite direction while Izzy, Simon, and Clary headed towards the elevator.

* * *

"Found 'em!" Shu called. "One slight set back, though."

The three of them were pulled through the doorway by some Shadowhunters who had seraph blades at their throats. Simon and Izzy were similarly restrained, Clary was holding the Book of the White, and Jace had arrived at some point and was pointing his seraph blade at Valentine.

"See, you are strong, but they make you weak," Valentine was saying to Jace.

"Let us go," Clary demanded. "You can have the book. We won't be able to stop you without it."

"Ah, Clarissa. So like your mother. Willing to do anything for those that you love. I'm touched, but…the book was never part of my plan. I  _want_  you to wake up your mother. I know that you'll both join me eventually."

Clary glared at him and hugged the book tighter to herself.

"It's fated." He turned back to Jace. "You ready?"

Jace hesitated, looking around to his restrained friends.

"Just be a moment, dear," Shu said.

She then jabbed her elbow back into the man restraining her, a cracking sound coming from a couple broken ribs, before she then took his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. She stomped down upon his shattered ribs, causing him to let out a scream of pain, before holding her hand out as a three foot long sword formed in her hand. The blade was midnight black with white accents traveling down the length, and the double-edged weapon was sharper than broken glass.

She slammed the blade down into his chest, and he shattered to dust, the ashes crawling up the blade and sinking into the white parts before disappearing. She then twisted her blade to aim at Valentine, the other members that were restraining Izzy, Alec, Simon, and Magnus all tightening their grips, stepping back and pressing the blades to their necks harder.

Shu suddenly flinched, her arm wobbling as her sword dropped. Along her neck was a small line of blood, her neck being cut. She held her wound and panted, letting out a string of curses from under her breath.

"Now, where were we?" Valentine asked.

Jace looked around frantically, before his eyes settled on the man before him and his arm with his blade fell. "If I go with you…promise me you won't hurt them."

"You have my word."

"This is insane," Clary protested.

"I'm sorry, Clary," Jace said.

"Jace…what are you doing? You can't be serious! Valentine is wrong! You-You're not like him. I'm not.  _You're_ not!"

"You don't know that, Clary. You don't know that."

"Let them go," Valentine ordered.

They were all released, and Shu took a deep breath as Magnus kneeled beside her and checked if she was okay. Simon went over to Clary, while Alec and Izzy stepped forward to Jace, but he held his arms out to keep them at bay.

"Get back. Get back! Alec, I mean it."

"Jace…" Clary begged.

Valentine took his arm and pulled him to the portal behind them where the others of Valentine's crew were already disappearing through.

"Jace…"

He turned and went with them willingly, giving Clary an apologetic look.

"Jace!"

She shoved the Book of the White into Simon's arms before surging forward. "Jace! Jace! No!"

Alec intercepted her, his bigger frame and strength able to bring her to a halt with ease despite her struggles. Jace and Valentine disappeared through the portal.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded.

"Saving your life," Alec said.

"If you enter a portal not knowing where you're going, you'll be stuck in limbo forever," Shu explained. "I once was able to rescue a person from limbo, but it's not exactly an easy process. I couldn't duplicate the circumstances for you."

They watched as the glistening purple of the portal faded away. Clary fell against Alec, sobbing, staring to the place where she lost Jace.

* * *

"You okay?"

"It's healed," Shu said, rubbing her neck. "Just be glad you didn't take that sword or you'd be dead or near dead right now from blood loss alone. The healing factor does come in handy sometimes. Under the right circumstances, I could regrow my head, so don't be concerned for me."

"I'll keep that in mind, but that was a visual I could've gone my whole life without."

She looked down the hallway. "You should talk to Alec and clear things up. If you want, I can be your advocate. Just give me a holler if you need me. I'm gonna help set up Joselyn for the spell."

She patted him on the shoulder and walked past him and then Alec.

* * *

"I know you don't wanna hear it, so I'll just say it once. Whatever I felt for Camille, it's ancient history. Almost literally."

"Yeah, but what she said about you being immortal…she's right. You watch the people you care about age and die."

"Alexander…I may be the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but…even I can't see the future."

"They're ready," Luke called as he walked up. "They moved her to the Ops Center."

"Good. We need the space. Joselyn's spell is very powerful."

* * *

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Clary asked, handing over the Book of the White.

"Let us hope," Magnus sighed.

Shu opened the book and flipped through the pages, settling on one before showing it to Magnus. The two of them snapped their fingers and waved their hands over Joselyn, the green aura around her shimmering as their magic made contact.

"Joselyn!"

They began to chant in Chthonian together, reading out of the book. as their magic spread across her and the green curse began to weaken. They threw the final words out, the magic pulsing to break through and Joselyn shaking. With the final pulses of energy, the aura holding her faded completely, and Luke rushed forward to catch her and lift her into his arms as she opened her eyes.

"I got you."

"Luke," She muttered happily, hugging him in relief.

He set her down, and she adjusted to standing on her feet after so long, looking around before seeing Clary.

"Mom…" Clary muttered. "Mom!" They quickly embraced. "I missed you so much…"

"I'm  _so_  sorry I didn't tell you about your past."

Clary shook her head. "No, not now. I have had enough for one day. We can talk about all that later. Right now, I just…I just really need my mom."

She began to sob against her mother's shoulder in relief.

"It's okay."


	11. Screams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review? Maybe? Tell me what I'm doing good, what I'm doing bad (be gentle please) any predictions, or recommendations. Feedback is important to a good story, dear readers.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

_She let out a piercing scream, her voice scratchy and rough from the endless hours of straining her voice in such a way. They'd always told her to let out her power, but she didn't know how. They told her many things, but still, she never understood what they wanted from her._

_Each moment she was left alone, her wounds would heal, though never entirely. She was never left long enough for that._

_"Now, dear, shall we continue?"_

_"Eat shit and die, old man."_

_"Oh, now that's a rude thing to say to your father."_

_She scoffed. "You are far from my father."_

_"You never knew your father, did you? You never knew what a father even was until it was explained to you by that man."_

_"He was more of a father to me than you'll_ ever _be."_

 _"You can't help what's in your genes, darling. Like it or not, we_ are _related."_

_"I don't care who the hell I'm related to by blood. A father doesn't have to share DNA. He just has to care for his child, show them kindness."_

_"I_ am _showing you a kindness, love. I'm trying to_ help _you. You have power in there just waiting to be woken up. You can be the savior of our species."_

_"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."_

_"Out of all creatures, the child of the_ mundane _is the one to have survived. You are truly a special one, my gem."_

 _"I feel_ so _privileged."_

_"You should be. Once you learn to stop resisting and let go, you'll have power beyond any creature in this world and the next. Even more so than those high and mighty angels, even the gods themselves."_

_"I don't care for that bullshit, arsehole."_

_"You will. Until then, we'll just have to continue the fun, shall we?"_

_And the screams continued, day in and day out. Years passed without her seeing more than just the room she was restrained in. Sunlight was nothing but a dream long since forgotten, smiles were a foreign concept, and freedom was nothing but an illusion._

Eventually, I had no will left to resist, but I didn't even know what I was supposed to give in to.

_As time passed, she never grew accustomed to the misery she lived in. How was one ever supposed to get used to the kind of pain she felt? All time ever did for her, was make sure she understood nothing better than that pain existed outside of the world._

_And it would be a long time before she understood who she was, why this was happening to her, and what happened on the day she was finally killed._

* * *

"Any word from the Clave?" Isabelle asked.

"Not yet, and we've been trying for the past four hours," Lydia reported. "Something's up."

"Hmm, the Clave being unhelpful?" Magnus asked. "Who's shocked? Show of hands?"

"I'm worried," Alec said. "I can't sense Jace through our parabatai bond."

"We'll find him, Alexander."

"When we arrested Hodge, he said Valentine was on a ship," Izzy said. "They must still be over water."

"Pull up the waterways around New York," Shu requested.

Izzy did so, pulling up a holographic map.

"The ship couldn't have gone too far," Lydia reasoned.

Shu closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Magnus tried searching for Jace using one of his jackets.

"Anything?" Alec asked.

"Sorry," Magnus said.

"There's gotta be something!"

"We can't see him."

"It's too fuzzy," Shu agreed. "The best I can tell you is he's over water. It's not that the water itself is causing an issue, but we're being blocked directly, and the water is actually the clearest thing in the image. I'm sorry, Alec. We're trying."

"All right, listen up!" Alec called, and everyone in the Institute froze. "I want 24/7 monitoring of the Hudson and East Rivers. If you see anything unusual, you come to me first."

"I've got this, Alec," Lydia said.

"Then why haven't you found Jace yet?"

"Don't forget who you're talking to. I am still the head of this Institute."

"And my brother is still missing."

"Why don't you just take a break?" Izzy suggested.

"Not now, Izzy."

"Isabelle's right," Lydia agreed. "And it's not a request. You're dismissed."

"Fine."

He turned to stomp off when Magnus rushed forward to grab his arm. "Hey…"

Alec wrenched his arm free. "Everybody, just back off!"

Magnus gave a face and Shu sighed. "Can't really blame him for being so worried. Jace is his brother, his best friend, and his parabatai bond. Someone so close…I'd be worrying my head off too."

* * *

"I'm sorry for how I reacted before. It's not personal."

"I get it. I'm a lot to get used to."

He walked up to stand beside him on the roof. "I know what you're going through, Alexander."

"No, I…I don't think you do. Jace…is a part of me. Through a rune we are both physically and emotionally connected. If he dies, a part of me dies too. And I know he's out there. And he's in trouble and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

"Two hundred years ago Shu was captured by a horde of Greater Demons. All of them wanted her power, whatever gift they believed she had. They tortured her. They brainwashed her. They nearly killed her. And do you know how I know what she went through? It's not because she told me. Even I couldn't get her to relieve everything that happened back there in full detail. It's because we're bonded, Alexander. It works like your parabatai bond, but even stronger. I know everything she feels, she knows everything I feel. We can telepathically communicate, and even damage done to one of us can be transferred over to the other. If  _she_  were to die, a  _part_  of me wouldn't just die, Alexander. I would die too. Even if I didn't get the physical pain, my soul itself wouldn't be able to handle life without her. You don't know how many times within the centuries since we've met that we have feared for each other's lives. So yes, maybe I  _do_  understand what you're going through. Just tell me what I can do."

"Help me track Jace. I want to use our rune. I just…need your magic for the pain."

"I can't help you with this."

"Why not?"

"The last time you used a rune to track Jace, it almost killed you."

"Why can't you just do this  _one_  thing?! After everything I've done for you?!"

"Because as hard as it is to believe, I'm more afraid of losing you than I am even Shu!"

Alec let out a deep sigh and turned to walk away.

A few moments later, Shu deemed it safe to run up the steps to the roof and to Magnus.

"You heard all that?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I trust Alec, and I trust you. If anything, I'm happy you found someone to care so much about. Don't be too mad at him, Mags. You said so yourself, you know what it's like to lose someone bonded to you, someone so close."

"Perhaps I know too much about what it's like to go through something like that. Perhaps I've gotten used to it, learned to have faith in you, in me, in those around me. I know how to handle things, and so maybe I don't understand what it's like to be panicking anymore. To not know what there is to be done."

"Then it's up to you to walk Alec through this. Do you remember how Ragnor had to comfort you when I went missing during that incident you mentioned? Or that time Caterina worked me through when you went missing to that disciple of the men who had wanted me? The only way that you can ever learn to have hope in the hardest of times is to have someone there for you to help you through it."

"I don't know."

She put her hands onto his shoulders.

"You'll know when you need to most. Trust me."

* * *

_"Who are you supposed to be?"_

_"I could ask the same thing to you."_

_He paused, giving her a once over. "Magnus. Magnus Bane."_

_"Asushunamir. I go by Shu. What are you doing here?"_

_"I have a business client to meet. You?"_

_"Basically the same thing."_

_"Basically?"_

_"Basically. Who you looking for? Better not be the same guy."_

_"Not entirely sure. I'll know him when I see him."_

_"Great business you have there, Warlock."_

_"What about you? Basically the same thing?"_

_"No. Not_ that _similar. I don't do dark deals."_

_"I do people favors, fair and honest deals. They aren't dark."_

_"The people you deal with are."_

_"Takes one to know one."_

_"You bet it does, buster."_

_"Excuse me? Asushunamir?"_

_Shu pulled out a handgun and aimed it at the man who walked up. "How do you know my name?"_

_"Eavesdropping?" Magnus guessed._

_"Relax, girl. My job here is already done."_

_She fired and shot him straight through the eyebrows, his body exploding into ashes. She slipped her gun back into its holster._

_"Have a few enemies?" Magnus asked._

_"More than you know."_

_She turned to walk away, and Magnus was planning on letting her go, if not for the fact that once she walked about ten feet away, his wrist was suddenly tugged with a powerful pull. A long, glistening chain appeared between them, connecting Shu's right wrist to Magnus's left, her side red and his blue, the colors fading to purple in the middle and then flowing to the opposing color about two thirds of the way down each._

_"What did you do, Warlock?!"_

_"What did_ I _do?! What did_ you _do?!"_

_They each pulled on the chain, but seeing as Shu was much stronger than Magnus, he was tugged forward and nearly lost his balance._

_"Shit, what_ is _this thing?!" She grumbled._

_"Some kind of chain."_

_"No shit, Sherlock!"_

_"Who?"_

_"Ugh, nevermind!"_

_"It worked!" "Get 'em!"_

_"Fuck. Come on, Warlock boy. Time to run."_

_"This who you're here to meet?"_

_"More like here to attack, but thanks to_ you-! _"_

 _"This is_ not _my fault! This is your fault for leading these guys here and walking into an ambush!"_

_"Just shift, or I drag you!"_

_"I do_ not _run from a fight!"_

_"It's not running, honey, it's just_ _…charging in the opposite direction. Now move!"_

_They ran through the streets of the two, their attackers unseen by any mundane around them. Magnus charged an orb of power between his hands and threw it at one of the pursuing men, knocking him out, but there were still plenty more to go._

_"We're outnumbered!"_

_"Dammit, why did_ I _have to be the one dragged into this?!"_

_"Would you shut up and keep running?! It's bad enough I've been ambushed by them, but to have to be stuck with you while I'm at it must be someone's idea of a joke!"_

_A dagger suddenly found it's way into Magnus's shoulder, and both he and Shu screamed, tripping and falling to the ground. Shu held her shoulder, blood leaking out from a wound that Magnus should've had. He was facing his own end of the pain in the same way, just he had the weapon sticking out of his shoulder._

_"Dammit, what did they do to us?!"_

_"Come on. We have_ _…have to move…"_

_Shu flicked her hand and a manhole cover glowed with her magic, lifting out of the ground and moving to the side._

_"We are_ not _going in there!" Magnus shouted._

_"It's either this or die! Make your choice! I'll leave you out here and wait until you're dead and the chain is chopped before I move on, if you're so desperate to be killed!"_

_She crawled her way over to the hole and dropped down inside. Sighing in exasperation, Magnus reluctantly followed her, and once he was down, the Manhole cover was moved into place again, and then disappeared from the ground, leaving nothing for their pursuers to try and break through._

* * *

Alec saw that Magnus and Shu were heading towards the doors and chased after them down the hall. "Hey. Hey!"

Shu took Magnus's arm and Magnus reluctantly came to a stop and turned around.

"What? Are you going home?"

"Where else would I be going? My interview's over and I'm exhausted. Besides, at my house, there's steak and vodka. I'd rather be there."

He turned to leave once more.

"Wait, you're just…you're not gonna help?"

Magnus turned around once more, giving Alec a skeptical look. "You  _really_  don't get it, do you?"

Alec shook his head in confusion.

"You didn't risk anything for me. You did it for you."

" _What?_ "

"Magnus…" Shu muttered.

"No, hold on. A-Are you seriously doing this? Right now?  _Right now?_ "

"You know, damn well, I wanna find Jace just as much as you do, but that's no excuse to treat me like-"

"Well then what do you  _want_  from me?!"

There was a long pause of silence as Magnus swallowed. "At the moment? Nothing."

Alec hesitated and looked like he was about to say something, but then the lights in the Institute went red, an alarm blaring.

Magnus turned to leave, putting his arm on Shu's for her to follow. Alec put his hand up, as if about to try and stop him, but decided against it. Shu nodded in an awkward farewell before hurrying after Magnus.

* * *

"Okay, now concentrate the energy into a smaller mass. Sustain and contain."

Magnus let his Warlock mark eyes show as he infused a large deal of his magic into a small ball of energy, the amount of magic being put into it so great that it was sparking with electricity, unlike his normal magic that flowed as wisps of smoke.

"Good. Now move it around. You're not just gonna be standing there and walking up to your enemies to zap them. You need to be able to keep the energy contained and in control even when it's on the move. The farther from the energy source - your hands - that it gets, the harder it is to hang onto, and when it's not an even distance from either hand, you have to adjust to the amount of energy being put in."

Magnus danced around with the magic orb he'd created, sustaining it with his powers as well as dealing with the extra strains on either hand as it shifted position.

"All right. Now no more Warlock mark. Don't be reliant on it. It's you're last resort for a fight, so keep it in the bag as long as possible. Best to keep a trump card for the opportune moment."

Magnus's eyes faded as he continued the exercise on the balcony. Behind him, Shu saw the door open and Alec walked through. If Magnus knew he was there, he didn't react, moving his creation gracefully through the air and getting used to the strain, barely noticing it as he switched the hand he was putting more power through.

"Magnus," Alec called. "I'm not good at apologies…but I'm…I'm sorry."

"Continue," Magnus said, acknowledging him.

"I'm… _really_  sorry."

A smile made its way across Shu's face.  _Really_  bad apologies.

"For?" Magnus helped.

"Look, can you just cut that out for a second?"

Magnus concentrated the energy before tossing it behind him. Alec dodged out of the way, and Shu caught it, suddenly appearing behind Alec and absorbing the energy and snuffing it out. "Good aim."

Alec sighed and stepped forward to the balcony with Magnus. "You were right. When I called off my wedding, that  _was_  for me. But this is all just…It's very new."

Magnus slipped on his sleeveless hoodie. "This may surprise you, but you're new for me too." He zipped it up in a huff.

"Look, with Jace missing, it's just like…the ground has shifted, and I-I can't keep my balance."

"It feels like your entire world is crumbling around you, like suddenly everything has been taken out of your hands and you're helpless. I understand that feeling, trust me."

Magnus tried to walk back inside past Alec, but he quickly snatched up the Warlock's arm. "Just…"

Magnus came to a stop and looked down as Alec slid his hand down to take his hand.

"I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm sorry."

Magnus looked slightly taken back by the proper apology. "You're forgiven. Also…you're great at apologies."

He moved to adjust the collar of his jacket, and Alec chuckled. "Thanks. I've been working on it."

Alec stared out off the balcony, the sounds of traffic and the night city ringing out down below.

"Here's the thing," Magnus said. "We're always going to face challenges. So, when things get crazy, don't push me away."

Alec nodded, and without a word spoken, a promise was shared between them.

* * *

Shu used Alec's stele to activate and feed energy into his parabatai rune.

"Why can't you use  _your_  stele?" Alec asked out of curiosity.

"Trust me, you really don't wanna know what happens when someone else touches my stele," Shu said. "It's way more powerful than a normal stele. I'm a Warlock, remember? I've got demon blood in me, that's no lie or anything."

"But to use a stele, to handle runes, you-"

"Need to have angel blood within you. Yeah. I know."

"So you're part angel, part demon?"

"Also part mundane. I'm a freak of nature, all right. Demons, Shadowhunters, Downworlders of all kinds have tried to replicate the process used to make someone like me, but not once has it been successful. Maybe things were similar, but it was impossible to get someone as powerful as me and still have them survive the process. If anyone tells you they're part angel, part demon, part mundane, they're lying. If they aren't lying, test their power against mine. I'll bet my life they aren't as powerful, potent, or in control of themselves. Trust me. I've seen it all."

"How old  _are_  you, again?"

"That's something you should  _never_  ask a lady. But…since I actually like you. I'll let that one slide. Let's just put it this way, I was alive and kicking before the first Shadowhunters had come into existence. Actually, my stele was stolen from the first Shadowhunter when we had an…argument. It's obviously changed significantly over the years, but it's still one of the most dangerous and powerful steles in existence, mostly because this was the prototype of all prototypes, just an experiment at this point. The first stele obviously hadn't been made with inhibitors to keep them from killing someone, even an angel, when they drew the runes. It was only first being used when I took it, and so the Shadowhunter using it didn't know of its deadliness yet."

"So you can handle those powerful runes made by the stele's unrestrained power?"

"Yeah. The power in the stele is the only thing strong enough to even activate or draw my runes these days. Do me a favor and keep all these things to yourself? You'd be surprised by how little the Clave can use to turn someone into an enemy of the state."

Alec sighed. "Trust me, I think I have a good idea."

"They turned on Jace, didn't they?"

"Yeah."

"Predictable. They just turned on the nearest person to blame to make themselves feel better."

"First Izzy, now Jace. Have things always been this way and I've just never noticed?"

"Maybe. I tried to keep away from the Clave for that very reason. But hey. Now that your eyes  _are_  open, I expect you to make use of them, right?"

"Right."

* * *

_"Stupid thing!"_

_Shu slammed her sword down on the shimmering chain, but it was unaffected by the blade that had never failed to cut through anything in its entire existence._

_"Do you know anything about what this is?" Magnus asked._

_"It's probably some kind of magical bond that won't release us until we fulfill a certain task or state of mind."_

_"And what might that be?"_

_"The last time I faced one of these things, it was a couple friends of mine. They had to fall in love or be shackled up for eternity."_

_"Fall in love? With you?"_

_"I know, don't sound so surprised. Anyway, that's probably far too easy if someone wanted me dead. Besides, that previous chain didn't have the side-effects of shared wounds. The people that did this probably wanted it done so that killing me would be far easier. All they'd have to do is kill you."_

_"Are you calling me weak?"_

_"Why yes, yes_   _I am. You are observant though."_

_He whacked her on the arm._

_"So is there any way to_ break _this?"_

_"Nothing I can think of, and I'm much older than you. These things just don't go away."_

_"What about cutting our hands off?"_

_"Too simple. It'd most likely just attach to something else more vital, and I have no desire to have this thing around my neck like some animal. Besides, growing back hands hurt."_

_"Yeah,_ that's  _why it'd be so painful._ _I'd have a hard time doing magic that way, too."_

_"Then we're agreed."_

_"Then what the hell do we do?"_

_"We find out what this thing wants from us, and we do it all while surviving those guys who put it on in the first place."_

_"Great. Why did_ I _have to be the one dragged into this_ _…?_ "

* * *

"All right, Alec. Ready to track your parabatai?"

He nodded and leaned back on the couch.

Magnus snapped his magic to life before sending it out towards Alec, keeping him stable and preparing him for what was about to occur.

"Okay. Hold on tight," Shu warned.

She moved the stele to his parabatai rune and moved to activate it.

Then, Alec looked up in realization.

"What just happened?" Magnus asked. "Did it start?"

"I don't need to," Alec realized.

Alec quickly stood and grabbed his shirt and jacket, Magnus canceling his magic with a slightly confused look on his face.

"I sense him. He's on land. I'm heading back to the Institute. I'll call off the dead-or-alive manhunt for Jace. Thank you, Magnus."

He rushed out, slipping on his clothes as he ran.

"What exactly did I do again?" Magnus asked.

"It's always the thought that counts, sweetheart."


	12. It's Not Love

Simon came through the portal, leaning against the table for a moment in an effort to keep the contents of his stomach down where they belonged.

"By the way, portal travels tend to make you a bit nauseous," Shu said, mixing something up in a bowl without looking up.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Simon muttered. "Might've been a little more useful beforehand."

"Knowing it's gonna be unsettling beforehand doesn't make it any less unsettling."

Magnus snapped the portal closed. "You'll get used to it."

"Hopefully sooner than later."

"So what's the emergency?"

"I need help tracking down your friend Camille. You're the only one I know who knows her as well as Raphael."

"I know her  _better_ , in fact," Magnus said, though he wasn't exactly proud of it. "Which also means I know how  _stupid_  it is to go  _looking_  for her."

"I know she could be holding a grudge about the whole blackmail thing-"

" _Could_  be?" Shu interjected, grabbing a couple of items from one of the shelves and returning them to the table for Magnus. "Camille's absolute  _favorite_  thing is holding grudges. I forgot her 607th birthday, which isn't even-"

"I could forget about my 19th birthday if we don't find her. So please. Can you…take a break from your day job and help a vamp out?"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Lucky for you, this potion will take a few hours to stew.  _But_  it'll cost you."

Simon shrugged. "Okay."

Magnus then snatched up one of his hairs and placed it in a jar marked ' _Vampire Hairs._ ' "I've been running low," He explained.

Simon gave a sarcastic smile in response.

* * *

The three of them hopped through a portal, Simon holding still once more to keep his lunch down.

"Portaling is not my thing. Is there, like, a YouTube tutorial I can watch?"

"Practice makes perfect," Magnus advised.

Simon looked around, finding that they'd teleported to a building in an old-fashioned city. "Wait. Are we in India?"

"Welcome to Agra," Shu said, spreading her arms, before she and Magnus walked over to the roof door, Simon rushing to catch up.

"Wait, Camille lives in India?" Simon asked.

"Camille lives wherever she wants. Homes all over the globe. She's always liked to spend the winters in Agra."

"She loves the smell of lotus blossoms," Magnus added.

"Who doesn't?" Simon asked.

They walked through a wall of beads, which Simon had a surprisingly hard time getting past as he swatted the beads away like they'd offended him.

"Oh, I recognize that," Shu muttered, walking over to a vase. "Ming dynasty."

Magnus walked up to the vase and picked it up. "Of  _course_  you recognize it. It's  _mine._ "

"Well unless she's in that vase, she's not here," Simon said. "So come on. You said there are, like, 62 other rooms we have to search…"

He slowed and picked up a sword from a display of them.

"You go on," Magnus said. "I have a few things Camille never returned after one of our… _many_  breakups. I wanna find them."

"So you're not gonna help me find her?"

"I portaled you to India. The rest of your sire squabble is all on you. Now go. And find us when you're ready to leave. Preferably  _after_  you've dealt with Camille."

"Right, why would you need a pair of powerful Warlocks when you've got a scrappy nerd from Brooklyn?"

"What are you so afraid of?" Shu asked.

"Where do I start? Elevators. Snakes. Clowns. Raphael trying to burn my junk off."

"You're a  _vampire_ , Simon. You're tougher than you think. Honestly, it's time to man up."

She put her hands on his shoulders with a sigh. "Look, you're already getting a handle on your speed, right? If you've ever played videogames, you know how to punch. The only way to learn is to try. All right?"

He took a deep breath and gave a small nod.

"Good. Now, I have some things Camille took from me as well, and  _I_  wasn't dating her. Honestly, just because she's older than Mags she thinks she's older than me. I'll show that vamp one day. As for you, good luck."

* * *

"Wow, you left a  _lot_  of things," Shu muttered.

"More like she just didn't give them back."

"We should've gotten to doing this ages ago. Hey, there's my necklace! That bitch! I thought I'd lost it!"

Magnus looked to a painting of him and Camille. "Oh, why do they always seem to get my bad side?"

He turned away, only to find a dagger with a wavy blade and a bent grip standing on displace in the wall. Magnus picked it up in disbelief, staring at the object in his hands.

* * *

"Hey, Magnus, Shu," Simon called as they popped into the room through a portal.

"There you are!" He exclaimed.

"And there it is!" Shu exclaimed, kneeling down to a snake that was slithering through the room. "My baby!"

" _You_ _r_  baby?" Simon asked.

"I created it for Camille ages ago," Magnus explained. "Best gift I ever gave."

"But you totally liked me more, huh?" Shu asked, petting the serpent.

"Great, well then, maybe don't include me on your Christmas list," Simon muttered.

"He didn't  _scare_  you, did he?" Magnus asked.

"No, of course not. I encantoed him. No big."

Magnus gave him a slightly proud look.

* * *

Magnus out all of his things that he'd collected onto the table at his apartment, being extra careful with the dagger he'd found.

"Listen, Antiques Roadshow, you got all your stuff back but Raphael still wants to kill me and Camille is nowhere to be found."

"We might not have her, but…" Shu grabbed a box that Simon had found in a snake statue. "At least we have this."

Simon took the small box. "This? From inside the serpent statue? This…helps me how?"

"If Camille had that snake guarding it, it  _must_  be precious to her," Magnus explained. "Maybe you can use what's inside it to…lure her back.  _If_  you can get it open."

Simon looked to the small box in his hands. "How?"

"I wish I knew. Whatever it is, it has wards keeping Warlocks like me out."

Magnus began moving some of the things he'd recovered and putting them around his apartment.

Simon looked to the things where Magnus had all of the stuff they'd taken and grabbed the dagger. "Maybe I can, uh, you know, pry it open."

"No! Not…with this!" Shu snapped, snatching the blade. "It's too important."

"You know what else is important? The parts Raphael wants to burn off me if we don't find Camille."

"We'll figure it out, Simon," She said, placing the weapon in a box.

"We?"

Shu sighed and swirled her finger on the design on the box.

"When I was a boy, discovering my powers, I had no one," Magnus admitted. "I had to figure out the Downworld all on my own. It was awful."

"What about Shu?"

"She wasn't always with me. We met when I was young, but not that young. So, I vowed to myself that if I ever  _found_  someone in a…similar situation…I'd try to make sure they didn't have to go at it alone."

"So you're going to be, like, my Downworld sponsor? Cool."

"Let's not get carried away."

"No," Simon agreed quickly.

"I said I'll  _try_. Even though I've lived more centuries than I'd like to admit, it  _doesn't_  mean I'm patient."

"Noted."

* * *

_"Magnus, I swear, if you stay in there one more minute I'm going to come in there and murder you, I don't give a damn about the soul bond!"_

_He came out with an eye roll, drying his hair with his magic._ _"If you're_ that _desperate to see me-"_

_She punched him in the gut and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and pulling all of the cord she could under the door so Magnus was stuck sitting at the door waiting for her._

_She removed her clothes, her shirt and jacket sliding through the red shimmering cord as though it wasn't there, and then hopped into the already-warm shower._

_Three weeks they'd been stuck with each other, disagreeing on where to go and what to do. They'd been ambushed a countless number of times, and Magnus's current home was compromised, so they had been forced to go on the run._

_The fact that Shu was forced to keep a Warlock safe just to stay alive was bad enough, but the fact that they couldn't move farther than ten feet apart was the worst punishment someone had inflicted on her in a long time, and she'd been alive for millennia. Hygiene was a serious issue, considering the two of them were different genders, as well as the fact that Shu was faster and stronger than Magnus, so having limited mobility thanks to him made nothing easy._

_Their cord seemed to be able to phase through anything that wasn't them, meaning clothes as well as other people, so it wasn't an inconvenience to other mundanes that they came across. No one unaffiliated with the Shadow World could even see it. Those that were, however, could grab the chain any time they wanted, making it even more of a problem than initially presumed._

_When Shu came out of the shower, brushing her hair and sweeping her magic across it so that it was dried, she found Magnus sitting against the wall beside the bathroom door picking at the cord that bound his wrist._

_"How much longer are we going to be stuck like this?" He demanded. "We're on the run, great, but do we have some kind of goal, or am I gonna be trapped with you for the rest of my life? As an immortal, that doesn't sound like a fun future."_

_"There has to be a way to change the length of the cord, possibly shorten or lengthen it. The way the usual soul chain works is we have to fall in love. Aphrodite was never a nice one when she made these things, but they were effective."_

_"I am_ not _falling in love with_ you _. Besides, you said so yourself that this isn't like the ones you've seen before."_

_"Well one way or another, the conditions are going to be something impossible for me. Falling in love with someone is easy when you're stuck with them and forced to get along, so my enemies would never think of doing that to me. For all we know, there's no way to fix this."_

_"There has to be something. Magic is not foolproof, not unconditional."_

_"It's either fall in love, or at least get to know each other."_

_"It's not love."_

_"Then we're in agreement. They paired me with you for a reason, so maybe we're destined to hate each other or something, and only by getting along can we fix this."_

_"By giving us no choice but to have to cooperate? Like you said, too simple. Maybe they just wanted me dead too. You're not the only one with a bit of notoriety. At the very least, this sounds like some stupid test of my father."_

_"Father?"_

_"Asmodeus," He spat._

_Shu cursed under her breath. "Son of a bitch_ _…_ That's _why we were put together, most likely."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Asmodeus_ _…he's supposedly my father too."_

_"Supposedly?"_

_"That's what he tells me. I don't have a father, or really, a mother, but since he was apparently the one who 'created' me, I can't say much against his claim except that he is the worst papa in existence."_

_Magnus walked over and sat on the bed they had in their rented room. The bathroom was something they'd magicked up for the sake of convenience, but the rest of the room was still horridly old-fashioned by their standards, as their magic allowed them to know luxuries no mundanes of the times could possibly imagine. Like showers. Showers were heaven._

_"Then I suppose that counts as something we have in common. I'd rather not believe what I've been told, that he's supposed to be my father, but the proof is undeniable. I don't even know why he even bothers to have children. He's taken a good deal of his kids' lives for his own purpose. We're nothing more than pets to him."_

_Shu sighed and plopped down beside him on the bed. "Seduced your mother?"_

_"Pretended to be her husband."_

_"Woke up one day to a Warlock mark?"_

_"Called a devil child."_

_"Treated like trash for something incomprehensible to a child so young."_

_"She killed herself."_

_"She got killed by me."_

_"My stepfather blamed me."_

_"My uncle tried to change me."_

_"I burned him."_

_"I burned him."_

_"I didn't mean to," They said together._

_Each suddenly flinched, as if being brought out of a trance. They looked to each other's faces, unable to say anything, but they were quickly distracted by the tingling and glowing beside them._

_The chain connecting them had suddenly halved in size, leaving only five feet between them. Now, the red and blue parts of the chains had completely disappeared, the glowing bonds now completely purple._

_"What just-?"_

_"We're doing it. At this rate, we might actually be able to destroy this thing."_

_"By what? Admitting our pasts?"_

_"No. By admitting things that we haven't told anyone else. Things that we hold closest to our hearts and souls. It's a soul bond, all right, but not one of love. It's built to bridge the gap between the two of us, make our souls not only connected, but one."_

_"If we're right about this, why would_ _…why would '_ father _' try and connect us like that? What could he accomplish?"_

_"He might just be doing this to create a bond strong enough to use as a ransom against one or the other, most likely me. Might be trying to teach us a lesson. If he kills one of us when this bond is complete, we'll be left with a hole in our hearts so big that we'll be vulnerable to manipulation and given some of the most powerful energy in existence. A force-shattering of a completed soul bond results in some deadly consequences. We need to decide whether we're willing to make that sacrifice, open up to each other in ways that we promised never to again, and then we need to decide whether bonding is going to put us into more or less danger. If the chain remains, we can't be separated by any means, being held hostage or otherwise, and so we can constantly keep each other safe, but we'd be stuck like this forever. If we try and complete this bond, we'll be able to go anywhere we want on the planet, and we'd have a connection like no other can replicate, however we'll be more reliant upon each other than ever before, and once made, the bond can't be broken."_

_"And Asmodeus wants us to do so, creating a bond powerful enough to do_ _…what, when broken?"_

_"Probably give infinite power, considering who we are. A bond with mundanes, still strong, but weak compared to others. A bond between Shadowhunters, better than nothing. A bond between two of the same Downworlder species, decent. A bond between Warlocks, a little better than decent. A bond between you and I? Not only are you a child of Asmodeus by blood, but I'm-"_

_She cut herself off._

_"You're what?" Magnus asked._

_"Really_ _…_ really _deadly. If both you and I are put into something like that, made to create such a deadly force, we could probably make some infinitely chaotic and powerful magic, and it would all be controllable by-"_

_"By him. Unlike us."_

_"Free will makes us dangerous, to us, to him. Those people coming after us have been demons and Shadowhunters alike. The Shadowhunters probably mean they've figured out our danger, or they're trying to take advantage of our inconvenience for their own reasons. After all, you and I aren't very well liked by them."_

_"And the demons?"_

_"They're either just being sent to test us, or they're trying to take the power first. Whatever the case, we're not gonna be safe, ever."_

_Just as she said that, the entire place around them shook and the sound of roaring could be heard close by._

_"Discuss this later."_

_"Agreed. Let's go."_

_And for the first time since they'd met, the two of them worked in perfect sync, the bond between them already growing, and the power between them becoming ever more deadly._

* * *

Magnus and Shu concentrated and sent their energy into healing Alec.

"Jace, I…" He muttered.

"It's not working," Izzy declared.

The two of them grunted and their magic snapped away. "I'm sorry, Isabelle," Magnus said.

They each took a deep breath and sent their magic out once more. "Parabatai bonds are like a tether that binds two souls," Shu recapped. "Jace and Alec share emotions, instincts, strength. It's an angelic bond. Warlock magic can only do so much."

"So Jace is like this too?" She asked.

Magnus sighed and let his magic die again. "Not necessarily. It appears that when Alec called out to him, part of his soul never returned. Now he's stuck. Lost somewhere between himself and his parabatai."

"But if Jace brought back that missing piece of his soul…"

"We may, very well, have the cure," Shu agreed. "Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly."

"Stay with Alec. I'll go find Jace."

She stood and walked off, while the two of them resumed their work.

"Can't you do anything about this?" Magnus asked.

"It doesn't matter what I am or what I do," Shu protested. "This isn't just the bond that's getting in the way, it's a piece of Alec's very soul that's missing. I'm  _just_  as worried about him as you, but right now, we need to keep this part of Alec alive while we get Jace back."

"Can't we attract the two parts together? Like a magnet? This is his soul, it has to be accessible."

"We can't try anything without risking Alec losing the  _rest_  of his soul, and if his entire soul gets trapped between the parabatai bond, he might as well be stuck in limbo."

Magnus stood and stomped in frustration. "Dammit!"

"I know, Magnus, but right now, we need to keep our heads on straight, all right? This is not easy, it never will be, to see the people you love close to death, but panicking and letting your emotions get out of hand will only make it worse. Understand?"

He sighed and took a few deep breaths. "I know, I know."

"Good. We'll feed more energy into him and sustain him until Jace gets back. We can't have the rest of his soul slipping away while that one part of him is gone. With that piece missing, it's like punching a hole in a bucket of water. We have to make sure the rest of him doesn't flow away."

* * *

"Isabelle! Clary's back!" Joselyn called from the hall.

Magnus stomped up to the door and opened it while Shu handled Alec.

"Oh, great, Clary's safe," He said with a grain of salt. "We can all go home now."

He moved to close the door, but Joselyn stepped in. "Whoa, wait. Magnus! How's Alec? Is he gonna be okay?"

"Do you remember the first thing I said to you when you brought a frightened six-year-old to my door?"

"You didn't want to get involved in Shadowhunter business," She sighed.

"And I should've stuck to my guns. I should've listened to Shu. But no. I let you convince me. How many years of memory wipes was it?"

Joselyn hesitated. "Twelve. Look, I owe you. Let me help with Alec."

He held his hand out. "I think you've done enough."

"I was only trying to find-"

"You were only trying to do what you always do. Manipulate people into helping fix problems that you created. And now Alec is paying the price for it."

"That's not true."

"Then prove me wrong."

With that, Magnus turned and waved his hand, the door slamming shut behind him.


	13. Wake Me Up

Magnus and Izzy were digging through potions, and Shu was trying to keep her nerves in control. There needed to be someone grounded in this place, as total havoc wasn't going to do anyone any good. Magnus was growing more and more unstable, and if he lost it, things were only going to get worse.

"Best team…best team…" Alec muttered.

"It's okay, Alec," Magnus said. "You hear me? We're gonna get you out of here and bring you back."

The door suddenly opened and that man that had taken charge of the Institute walked in. "You put in a request to transfer your brother to Idris?"

"My  _parents_  put in the request," Izzy fired back.

"Alec isn't leaving this Institute. I'm sure his Warlock friends can figure something out. Here."

"This isn't waking Sleeping Beauty with a kiss," Shu protested. "Runic power is deep. It requires magic that can't be accessed in the walls of this Institute."

"I don't know what you're up to, and ultimately, I don't care. But as far as I'm concerned, your brother is too weak to be portaled."

"You're just using Alec as bait to arrest Jace," Izzy declared.

"No. I'm working to capture the fugitive who put Alec in this position. I've allowed these Warlocks into the Institute for the sole purpose of treating your brother. Although, you don't seem to be doing too good a job of it."

" ** _You mind if I murdered him?_** "

" ** _Not one bit._** "

"I'm placing Raj by the door. Do  _not_  try this again."

He nodded to the man behind him. Magnus rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Alec, while Shu gripped her stele, ready to burn a permanent pain rune onto that guy's face.

"I'm just under orders," Raj said nervously under Izzy's gaze.

"Shut up Raj."

He nodded, expecting that, while Magnus got to work with his magic once more.

* * *

Magnus swept his magic up Alec's body. He seemed to be responding to the energy, but his mind refused to come to consciousness.

"No…it's too late. I…"

"Alec?" Magnus asked, instantly at his side.

But he was still unconscious.

Magnus grunted in anger, turning and tossing a vase off the desk with his magic.

"Hey, don't go wasting energy unnecessarily," Shu warned. "We don't need that right now."

Raj, that Shadowhunter who was standing at the door, looked down at the broken vase. "You know you're gonna have to clean that up?"

Magnus glared and turned away.

"I feel you, man, but I have direct orders. If you can't help him, then you need to go."

"Our magic is the only thing keeping Alec from  _completely_  slipping away," Shu declared. "We will  _not_  leave."

"I know you're old, but I didn't realize you were hard of hearing. He's clearly not waking up anytime soon, so you can leave. Now. Or I can remove you myself-"

Magnus held his hand out and his magic flared to life, orange this time rather than his normal blue. It wrapped around Raj's neck and began to choke him, silencing his words.

"I'm sorry. I don't like being rushed."

He tossed Raj back with a surge of power, smashing him into the wall behind him and bringing down a picture as well. Izzy rushed into the room upon hearing the noise and held Magnus back before he could attack Raj further.

"Magnus, stop. We need to get Alec out of here, but this isn't helping."

"Save your magic and channel that rage into helping Alec," Shu agreed. "Raj wasn't going to kick us out any time soon, and I was prepared to throw him to Russia too, but right now, no more, okay?"

* * *

Shu sighed and held her face in her hands. "I feel helpless. We couldn't save all those Warlocks from the Circle's attack. We couldn't save  _Ragnor,_  Magnus. Infinite possibilities for us, almost literally. An endless future, a million things we probably could've done this century alone…All of it, lost so easily."

"Alec is going to make it through this."

"I know. I won't let him die like this. I won't let someone else slip through my grasp."

She twirled a flower between her fingers - a rose.

"I miss him."

"I do too."

* * *

"Still no improvement?"

"Happy now?" Izzy asked.

"Not at all. Alec's one of our best. It'd be a shame to lose him."

Izzy stood from beside her brother. "We're  _not_  gonna lose him."

"So confident. Almost too confident."

He walked over and used his stele on Alec's arm, before revealing him to be the unconscious Raj.

"Well,  _that's_  unfortunate."

"When are you going to realize that Jace is on your side?"

"Our side doesn't murder werewolves. Oh, so he didn't mention that little transgression? I was hoping to  _protect_  Jace by bringing him here, but clearly, you've made other plans."

She chuckled. "Ah, the old 'I was planning to protect them' line. How cute, darling. But we all know you weren't. You wanted to do something  _so_  much worse than kill him. You wanted to keep him alive, shame him, make him and his friends miserable to make yourself feel more powerful. And who could stop you? You hold  _all_  the power, right? I've seen your kind before. Heck, I  _made_  your kind."

"Who are you?"

She smiled. "If I were to place you next to a dead corpse and leave you to be found alone with your 'victim,' would that mean you killed him? Obviously it would  _have_  to. You Shadowhunters have always been  _so_  cruel like that. I'm not a fan of Valentine, but at least I know he didn't come out of nowhere. Blaming the innocent, jumping to conclusions if it's in your benefit? Claiming that you're doing something for a good cause when really, you're just ready to torture someone to no end, kill and slaughter mercilessly, violate moral codes of all kind. Saying it's the  _law_ , but really it's just your abuse of power. And yet, you seem to think you're in the right. Aw, how cute, sweetheart, but you Shadowhunters won't last long at this rate. Because there  _are_  people out there who do the right thing for the right cause. Sometimes they're idiots, but the craziest people are the ones who have seen the light. You? You remain in the dark, sadly, and you, little Shadowhunter, are doomed to the darkness of hell forever. I will make sure of it."

"I do what I do to protect the people at this Institute. The law is hard, but-"

"It's the law? Oh, don't even try that with me. The law is meant to uphold moral values, but you can't put morality on a piece of paper. Only free will can determine what is right and wrong, and there are those who have corrupted senses of that morality. Valentine, for example. As well as the Clave. You're not so different. You all hide behind the guise of doing the right thing, but the world isn't so black and white. I look forward to seeing you again, little man, but believe me, when you see me next, it might just be the last thing you see in this life."

With that, a cloud of dark smoke rose from the ground to consume her, and when it dissipated, she was gone.

* * *

"Come back. Come back. Please, come back," Magnus begged. "I'm all out of answers. I've tried everything."

He hesitated. "Except…"

He swallowed before leaning in to kiss Alec. When he pulled back, Alec hadn't changed, and he didn't for the next few moments either.

He took a deep breath, feeling stupid for even trying, but Shu put her hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, she knew she didn't need to, that it wouldn't help. But Magnus sensed the comfort she was trying to give, and took all that he could.

* * *

"What is he dreaming of?" Shu wondered, putting her hand to his forehead.

Alec had been portaled to their apartment, leaving Raj disguised as Alec in his place. Hopefully it would buy some time before they realized what happened. Just in case, Shu had wards up to alert her of any Shadowhunters that came to the building.

"Memories."

Charon appeared out of his cloud of smoke. Shu stood at attention before then putting her hand on the necklace he'd given her and tearing it off.

"You! You're stupid necklace wasn't of any help, dumbarse!"

She threw it at him, and he caught the projectile despite her strength putting so much speed into it.

"You're lucky we found the Book of the White on our own, but what the hell?!"

He gave her a passive look, as though he was tired of having to explain things. "It must mean that you didn't  _want_  the memories inside of it."

"I wanted them, all right. What was so wrong with wanting to know where I'd hidden the book? We found it without incident, there were no traps or bad things that came of it. Why wouldn't getting the information from the charm be any worse than what we had to do?"

He looked to the balcony past her. "A couple things surrounding the incident where you hid it must be stored in there too. You were willing to gain the memories of hiding the book back, but not the ones that came along as caveats."

"What memories?"

"Things that you must really not like, since the gem is refusing to give them. It senses that part of your subconscious that wants to keep the memories hidden, and so it trusts your subconscious more than your conscious, especially when it comes to missing memories."

"Can you wake them up for me?"

"I can't do anything without your subconscious consent."

"You're a memory demon, this is  _your_  gem-"

"That's not what I meant," He said quieter.

He walked up to her, but refused to make eye contact. "I wouldn't do anything you aren't prepared for. If your subconscious wants to stay hidden, doesn't want those memories, then I won't give them to you."

"I can take it. I've dealt with worse. There is  _nothing_  that could possibly be that bad by this point in my life."

"I don't care. I will not put you through that until you're ready. And until you're ready-" He put the gem in her hand "-keep it with you. The moment it thinks you're properly prepared, you'll get what you want."

He took a few nervous steps back and turned away to leave.

" _You're_  the one that's afraid," She called. "Whatever's in here, it must make me pissed at you. You just want to make sure that you don't get the receiving end of my wrath, at least until you're a safe distance away."

He turned his head slightly to look back on her. "Yeah. Maybe."

But he wasn't proud of what he was admitting. It wasn't just a game of survival to him, it was a game of trust. He wanted her to trust him. Whatever was in there would break that trust completely.

Shu hated demons. Once upon a time, she was determined as hell to wipe them off the face of the planet.

" _You'd best remember to kill yourself at the end of your little crusade,_ " One had told her.

But over the years, she'd seen that demons weren't the worst things out there. If anything, they were the most noble. At least they had the courage to admit they killed for reasons, instead of hiding behind the guise of doing the right thing.

But that didn't mean she still wouldn't hold a grudge for things that had happened to her in the past.

And Charon disappeared before he could see her grudge first hand.

* * *

"He can't last much longer," Magnus reported.

Clary and Isabelle had returned from saving Jace from the werewolves of Luke's pack that wanted revenge for the one Valentine had killed.

When Jace walked in, he quickly looked over to his parabatai. "Alec."

Shu stood and handed him the rock of adamas that Alec had tried to use to track Jace, getting him in this position in the first place.

Jace walked over and took Alec's hand with the stone in between their interlocked grips. Their hands began to glow as Jace transferred back the part of Alec's soul that he was missing, and began to see what Alec saw.

"Entreat me not to leave thee…or to return from following after thee."

Alec suddenly spasmed, the glowing rock dropping to the carpet beside them. He began to wheeze, trying to breathe, but struggling.

"What's happening?" Izzy asked.

"He's slipping," Shu muttered.

"No…" Clary protested.

Jace cupped Alec's face. "Thy people will be my people, thy God will be my God. And when thou diest, I will die. And there will I be buried. The Angel do so to me."

The rock on the floor grew dark, and Alec's head fell limp. Jace took Alec's motionless body and hugged him, tears rolling down his face.

"No…" Shu muttered. "Not again…again and again…"

"And more also," Jace continued. "If aught but death part thee and me…please don't leave me, Alec…"

"If aught but death part thee and me…" Alec repeated weakly.

Izzy and Clary let out sighs of relief, while Jace set Alec back to see his eyes were open. He chuckled in relief before embracing Alec once more in a tight hug.

Shu took Magnus's hand, letting their combined relief flow through them. And it wasn't just them. That relief was flowing through all of them. Even Alec, who was sobbing softly.

Then, Shu looked up. Her wards had been trying to alert her for the past few minutes. She smelled angel blood. A lot of it.

"Jace Wayland," Aldertree, the man from the Clave, called as he entered with his entourage of Shadowhunters. "You are hereby sentenced to the City of Bones to await trial for the charge of high treason and aiding Valentine in the war against the Clave."

"Wait, what?" Alec asked. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's all right, Alec," Jace assured him. "What matters is you're back."

The posy of Shadowhunters took Jace by the arms and led him away.

* * *

"How'd it go with Aldertree?"

"Well, the man didn't disappoint," Magnus admitted. "In his own charming, inimitable way, he informed me that I will indeed be punished, but the form of punishment is yet to be decided."

"All for trying to save my life."

Magnus shrugged.

"Jace may have been the one who pulled me out, but I did feel you there. And it did make a difference. So…thank you."

Magus was slightly taken back by the statement. "Thank  _you_  for not dying on me."

There was a moment of awkward tension between the two.

"H-How is Jace?"

"He won't be long. Once his hand touches the Soul Sword, the truth will come out. And prove that he's never been on Valentine's side."

Alec looked left and right, shifting nervously. "Look, um…I know that with…everything that's been going on, I…We-we haven't had a chance to…"

"Go on that first date we never had?"

"Right, yes."

"I know a place in SoHo that has the  _best_  lamb kebab this side of Marrakesh. Or we could portal to Marrakesh. You hungry?"

"Starving."

Shu sighed as she walked up to him. "This is why I hate Shadowhunters," She muttered. "No offense, Alec. You're one of the ones I can tolerate and actually like, but I'm seriously close to murdering your superiors right at this moment."

"I take it things didn't go too well?" Alec asked.

"I didn't blast Raj into a wall, but I'm still apparently being punished for aiding you or some shit as well as some other random thing. He says I disguised myself as Isabelle and said some harsh things to him and threatened him, and while I'd love to take credit for such a thing, it wasn't me. He claims that whoever did this was condescending, clearly emphasized female behavior, and acted  _just_  like me. He said I should stand trial or something, I said no and threatened him to leave me the hell alone, he threatened me, I shut him up by taking his memories of the event and we had to start  _all_  over."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Will your solution  _always_  be to take the memories of the events that get you into trouble?"

"I am  _not_  the only one in this relationship to do so," She said, pointing at him. "I'm not the only one in the entire Shadow World to do so. In any case, it would have to be someone who knew me well enough to impersonate me."

"Well it wasn't me," Magnus said defensively.

"I know. I would've known if it were you. I'm going to do some digging on this. Plus, I have somewhere I was heading to anyway. And for goodness' sake,  _please_  try to actually make it through this date without interruptions. I  _swear_ , I'm going to eliminate Valentine just to make sure nothing else interrupts you two. The only person I know who has worse time with dates is the Doctor, and at least he  _makes_  it to the location before hell breaks lose."

"Hey, Alec," Raj called from behind him. "Demon briefing in the OPs center. All hands on deck."

"Oh for heaven's sake!"

"My dear, Raj…" Magnus muttered. "You look well."

Raj gave him a glare before walking away without a word.

Alec turned back to Magnus nervously.

"Rain check?" He guessed.

"Yes, yeah. I-I-Is that okay?"

"You go battle your demons."

Alec nodded and rushed off.

"I'll go battle mine," Magnus finished.

"I'll meet you later," Shu said. "There's somewhere I have to be."

She moved to walk off, but Magnus called, "It wasn't your fault, Shu."

She paused for a moment before stomping off without another word.


	14. The Tortures of Shadowhunters

The doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Magnus called.

When he opened the door, he found Raphael, carved up with wounds all across his body, a significant amount on his face.

"Oh, Raphael…"

"I didn't know where else to go," He panted.

He collapsed forward and Magnus quickly caught him. "Oh, my poor boy. Everything's gonna be all right. I'm going to take care of you. Come on."

* * *

Shu set her rose in front of the gravestone with Ragnor's picture on it.

"Hey, Rag. Good news. We…we worked things out with Alec. He's up and running, but obviously, things aren't ever that simple. Now Alec's parabatai and brother Jace is being held prisoner for helping Valentine. It's totally irrational. I mean, he's the victim. But the Clave…well, I still hate them as much as before. This guy…he accused me of disguising as Izzy and threatening him. Maybe I would've done that eventually, though maybe Izzy wouldn't be my first choice as a disguise, but that wasn't me. No matter how much I like or dislike the Clave, I wouldn't ever try to put my fellow Warlocks in danger for something I feel."

"Ah, my sweet. You've always had such a big heart," Ragnor said, sitting upon the gravestone. "There is pain within your heart and soul, and yet that has only made you kinder."

"Do you think it's worth it? All these years, trying to be the good guy, when the good guys are more corrupt than the bad?"

"You said so yourself. Long ago, you gave in to the bad side. Became the 'Demon Queen,' or something of the like?"

"Yes."

"And, when you saw things from that perspective, you still ended up where you are today. No longer with demons or Shadowhunters, but not necessarily against them."

"Well, now I've been dragged back in. Some Shadowhunters are good, but not enough. It's tiring, Ragnor. Trying to pick the side of good, but the struggle between good and evil too complicated for me to handle. I try to stay out of it, but here I am again."

"Immortality is like that. It makes sure you can never ignore something forever."

"Even death."

" _Especially_  death. But you are here, you are alive, and you can make your own choices. You're wise, child, I know you are. You've got that look in your eyes, that deep, dark pit of knowledge that burdens you every day. And yet you still walk on, you smile, you brag, you act, and make people miss what is so evident in those dark irises. You have wisdom beyond anyone else, immortal or not, and it's up to you to use that wisdom. I'm an old man, but even I can't tell you what to do here. Look not to others for answers."

She blinked down tears and sniffled. "But what if I can't do this alone?"

"You're not alone. You should know that. You've got your brother, you've got friends, and more than friends."

"But none of them can help me with this. Not even Magnus."

"There is someone. Someone even older than you."

"You mean…?"

"Not him, for heaven's sake. Just because he's not  _always_  bad doesn't mean he isn't  _always_  being a pain in the rear. No, I mean another person who knows you even better than you do. The one who's always trying to look out for you, even though he's not very good at showing it."

"Who?"

He pointed to her chest where her necklace was.

"You mean-?"

But Ragnor was gone.

* * *

When Shu portaled back home, she found Raphael being treated by Magnus.

"Oh my gods, Raphael! What happened to you?!"

"Aldertree. He…UV ray…"

"Okay, don't speak. Let me just…"

She helped Magnus in healing the wounds on his hands, face, and neck while Raphael explained what happened. He'd been brought in regarding Camille's recent activities, and he tried in vain to explain the truth. Then, he was locked into a chair and tortured, apparently not breaking the accords because this was 'motivation,' not torture.

"Aldertree knows how I took you in," Magnus said. "How you're like a son to me. That's why he did this."

"He was looking for Camille," Raphael protested weakly.

"And punishing me at the same time."

"So, can you help me deliver Camille to the Clave?"

Magnus paused in his healing. "Raphael…"

"I know it's a lot to ask. Which is why I haven't until now. Aldertree gave me 12 hours to deliver her, or he'll burn me alive along with my entire clan."

"That…bastard…!" Shu muttered.

Then, there was a rapid knocking on the door. "Magus! Shu!" Simon called. "You there? It's me!"

Raphael gave a glare and sat up, Magnus waving his hand and snapping the door open.

"Okay, time to put your money where your mouth is about helping me find Camille, 'cause Raphael-" He cut himself off when said vampire walked into view. "Man, you are  _everywhere!_ "

"Aldertree did this to me because of you," Raphael said, pointing to the laser wounds he still had on his temple.

"Yeah, well you look like crap. Bring it on, scar-face!"

"Hey!" Shu shouted, shoving the two of them apart. "Hey! Boys, relax! Let's talk this out like  _civil_ Downworlders."

"Anyone for a martini?" Magnus offered. "I'm having a double."

He walked off, pointing to Shu and then to each of them.

"You threatened my mother," Simon said.

"And if you'd even lifted half a finger to find Camille-"

"Lifted half a finger? I portaled to freaking India and had to face off with a cobra! And all I got was this stupid box of hers!"

Raphael snatched up the box from Simon. "This stupid box is sacred. You know why? It contains Camille's grave dirt."

"Grave dirt?" Magnus asked. "I thought maybe diamonds, or that gold ring she stole from Cleopatra's tomb."

"So we're excited about a box of dirt?" Simon asked. "Anyone wanna clue me in?"

"If you have a vampire's grave dirt, you can use it to summon them," Shu explained.

"Great. Except, not that it means anything, but that thing's harder to open than the Lost Ark."

Raphael took the little plastic thing from Magnus's martini and took Simon's hand. He then slashed a long cut across his palm.

"Ouch! What the hell?!"

"To open the box, you need Camille's blood," Raphael explained. "And since she's your sire…"

He squeezed some of the blood onto the box and it popped open, the top sliding off easily to reveal that there was indeed dirt inside.

"Okay, now what?" Simon asked.

* * *

Simon came out onto the balcony where Shu was staring out to the city and Magnus was sitting in a chair with his drink.

"Cold feet?" Simon asked. "Listen, I get this can't be easy, Magnus, considering you and Camille used to…you know…But, if you're feeling guilty about handing her over to the Clave, I can show you phone shots of the den she created. Cause it's…it's messed up. Plus she…she killed me too. So there's that."

"I admit she's gotten more reckless over the last 200 years, a-and I can't defend anything she's done," Magnus said quickly. "But she isn't  _pure_  evil."

"Not to doubt your word, but I need proof of concept on that one."

"Look, I may not like Camille for breaking Magnus's heart and being a real pain in the arse, but even I can admit that there's some good in her," Shu said. "Or, at least, there had been."

Magnus hesitated. "Not too many people know this, but…when we were living in London in the early 1870's…we were both in a bad place. Each of us usually managed to comfort each other or snap each other out of things, but this time…neither of us could do something when we were the same way."

"No matter how hard we tried…we couldn't see our way out," Shu continued. "Then, on one…particularly stormy night…we got as far as the ledge of Blackfriars Bridge. And if…if it wasn't for Camille and…and…we wouldn't be here right now."

"She was the only one who cared enough to stop us," Magnus said. "She saved us."

Simon hesitated. "Wow…I always thought you were, like, the Energizer Bunny of Warlocks."

"Most of the time, I am. But in my moments of weakness, I have my rock. When even my rock has a moment of weakness as well…we each have to learn to accept other's help as well. Just as you have yours."

"Clary."

"So now you see why it's not so simple," Shu said. "I hate Camille, but I know what the Clave does is worse than what even she deserves. Breaking her nose is one thing…actually, breaking  _many_  bones, is one thing, but what they'll do to her…they'll make her feel that real death will be a mercy."

* * *

Simon tapped his hands on the chair impatiently while Magnus and Shu ran around mixing things together.

"Hey, no pressure, just I promised my mom I'd be home for dinner at 8:00, so if you could…"

Magnus froze and gave him a look.

"I can wait. It's…it's fine."

Raphael walked in, having been fully healed from his wounds. "So, ready to do this?"

"Almost," Shu said.

Magnus grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to Raphael. "I need you two to go to this address. My friend, Catarina, has some ingredients I need for  _extra_  fortification."

The two vampires looked between each other.

"I thought the trap for Camille was finished," Raphael said.

"Yeah, and I figured you'd have something to hold Hannibal Lector and a few of his friends," Simon agreed.

"Don't underestimate Camille's strength," Shu warned seriously.

"Off to Catarina," Simon agreed.

Raphael reluctantly followed him out.

Once the door was closed, Shu turned to Magnus. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment," She warned. "I'll let you handle her alone. You need to do this okay? I've got the wards up in case she escapes the cage, but you had a stronger connection to Camille than I did."

She walked off into another room, while Magnus walked over and grabbed Camille's graveyard soil. "My dearest Camille," He sighed.

Taking a deep breath, and a handful of dirt, he flung some of the soil out in front of him. In a flash, Camille appeared.

"What the hell?" She demanded.

"It's only me," Magus assured her.

She smiled and walked forward. "Magnus…"

"I'm so sorry."

He reached over and tossed some more dust her way, a cage appearing around her.

"Magnus, let me out of here…" She threatened.

* * *

"Don't tell me you're doing the Clave's bidding because of your silly infatuation with that boy-toy Shadowhunter," Camille snapped.

"Leave Alec out of this. This is between you and me."

"The same you and me who crashed Queen Victoria's coronation glamoured as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge?"

"Which I did not approve of!" Shu called from the other room.

"Believe me, this  _wasn't_  an easy decision, but you crossed the line. I won't let Raphael suffer for  _your_  bad deeds."

"So this is about  _one_  little insubordinate  _vamp?_ "

Magnus looked to her in disbelief. "You've sired  _hundreds_  of vampires. Your children. But as a Warlock, I can have none. The Downworlders I take under my wing,  _they_  are my children. My family. I'm sorry, Camille. I'll do whatever it takes to protect them."

Magnus tried to turn away, but Camille smiled. "The fear of loneliness…has always been your Achilles heel."

"Don't," He demanded.

"You don't do well losing those you love…do you? I'm the only one you can count on to be here for you forever. Even your sister will get tired of you one day. You know that. That's why you love me. And you always will. Choose…me."

Magnus walked up to her, looking through the bars. "Enjoy Idris. I hear the weather's a delight."

He stepped back and summoned a portal.

"How could you?" Camille called. "I thought you loved me. Don't do this-"

But he pushed the portal forward and teleported her away.

Shu walked out of the other room as Magnus's magic faded from his hand. "You okay?" She asked.

He merely swallowed and let his hand fall.

"I'll always be there for you, okay? She didn't know the extent of the soul bond's properties."

"We see them keep dying all around us, Shu."

"You think I don't know that? You know where I went today. The graveyard we made for the Warlocks that died in the Circle's attack? Warlocks don't die in great numbers very often, but right now…there aren't many of us left. So we made it to honor and remember immortal lives cut short. Including Ragnor. I  _know_  Magnus. I've been alive way longer than you. I  _know_."

* * *

"Absolutely not," Shu declared.

"Is it possible?" Clary demanded. "Tell me, can it be done? Yes or no?"

"Sure, there are Warlocks who have done this sort of thing, but what you're talking about is  _dark_ , dark magic. It's  _wildly_  unpredictable."

"Have you ever done it before?" Simon asked.

Shu took a deep breath and gave Simon a glare.

"No," Magnus said honestly. "And don't encourage this. Biscuit, I'm sorry. I know how important she was to you."

"She was my mom. If you were me, if we were talking about  _your_  mom-"

"I wouldn't bring her back."

Clary looked to him in disbelief. "I don't understand."

Magnus sighed. "I was nine years old when my mother realized what my cat eyes meant. She couldn't live with the fact that she bore the son of a demon. So she took her life. With this very keris."

He motioned to the blade that Magnus had recovered from Camille's place.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It was a long time ago. And over time, it…it got easier. Never easy. But easier."

"Your mother was a special woman," Shu said. "She only wanted to protect you at all costs. So much so that she had us remove your memories. Since we can't get those back…"

Shu closed her eyes and snapped, before a picture appeared in her hand. "Take one of mine."

Clary looked at the picture in shock. "Oh my god. When was this?"

"The day we met you," Magnus explained. "The first thing I noticed was that you both shared the same laugh."

Clary chuckled and looked back to the picture of her and her mother.

"Losing your mom…it's not something you make better with magic. You just…head straight into it and cry your eyes out."

Clary swallowed before turning and walking off, Simon trailing behind her.

Shu sighed and sat down on the couch. "Missing your mom. Sounds like a luxury to me."

Magnus sat on the chair beside her. "You don't talk about her much. I know you don't like to. Even with the soul bond, I don't pry."

"There was  _nothing_  to like about her. The first few days I was born, she nearly threw me into a river to drown. She abused a baby, and if it wasn't for my healing factor and 'father' looking out for me, she would've killed me a million times over in the first month of my birth. She was so angry."

"For what?"

Shu sighed and leaned back. "My mother was treasured by the demons as the only woman who survived more than three months of pregnancy with a… _me_  inside her. I was the key to all their hopes and dreams, or whatever, and so she was taken to their domain, protected with the most advanced life that existed at the time. She was treated like a queen, but the moment I was born, suddenly the attention was all moved to me, and she meant nothing to them. She noticed the change instantly, and knew I was the reason for her sudden misfortune. She hated me for it. Hated me enough to kill me a million times over.

"So the day I was old enough, when 'father' came to get me and move on to phase two, she didn't stop him. I wanted my mother to love me, but who was I kidding? So I let her burn. I killed her with everything I had. That was the first time I unlocked the power that they wanted from me, and well…I've told you the rest before. I would  _never_  bring that woman back. Sometimes, I'm afraid that she's been reborn somewhere, that she's either out there tormenting people once more, or she's getting a better life without facing the consequences of what she did to me."

"Whatever the case, she's gone now. You've, like it or not, grown stronger because of what happened with her."

"I hope you're right, Mags. I hope you're right."

* * *

Magnus was walking through the upper floors when he saw Alec standing out on the roof. He opened the door and walked to him slowly, having heard what happened with the possessing demon that made him kill Joselyn.

"You okay?"

"I can't be in that Institute."

"Oh, Alec…"

"Heard you turned in Camille. How'd that go?"

"Honestly? It was awful. We had a lot of history, she and I. I'm sorry if that's weird."

"It's not weird. You say what you think."

He fiddled with his hand, which was blistered an injured. "Too busy to use a healing rune?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're hurting. Badly. You hope the pain here-" He motioned to his hand "-will overpower the pain there." He pointed to his chest. "I wish it were that simple."

"I let a demon in, Magnus."

"That wasn't your fault."

"I don't know what to say to Clary. I can't face her."

"But you will. Because that's what you do, Alexander. It may take you a minute, but I've seen it up close. I went to your wedding. You'll blow up the very ground you stand on to make something right."

* * *

"Alec and Clary went to a Warlock that might be able to revive her mother?" Shu recapped.

"We need your help," Jace agreed. "If she's able to bring back the dead, she has to be a powerful Warlock. According to the records, she's older than Magnus. Better safe than sorry."

She sighed. "Fine. Let's go. I have a few choice words for dear old Iris."

* * *

Iris threw Alec back, up to the ceiling and then slammed him down to the floor.

"You've gotta do better than that, cheekbones."

"Iris!"

Shu sent a wave of energy her way, and Iris had to turn her attention to her attacker in order to block such a powerful wave. Though they were in a confined space, the two of them moved to circle each other, Shu moving to Alec and keeping him in sight at al times.

"You heard the man. Where is Clary Fairchild?"

"The redhead who came in asking for me to revive her mother? She's helping to restore the Warlock population, helping build our numbers again."

"Unwillingly. Besides, true Warlocks can't be grown artificially."

"A Shadowhunter mothering a generation of Warlocks. Can you imagine how powerful our kind would become? Valentine threatens to destroy all Warlocks, a good deal of them killed because they trusted you and  _Magnus_  to protect them. We need to grow our numbers once more."

"Quality over quantity. Even if a Shadowhunter were to breed your new generation of Warlocks, they'd never compare to pure, demon-bred ones. All you're making are monsters that look like people, and against someone's will, no less. Demon and angel blood don't mix, there's no way for you to create something like that without it being nothing but a monster. You'd shame the title of Warlock."

She sent out a wave of energy, but Shu blocked it easily.

"So what plan do you have? Wait it out until all Warlocks are hunted and killed before you take action?"

"I am responsible for those deaths, there is no argument. I wasn't there to protect them when I should have. But that doesn't mean I'm going to defile the line of future Warlocks just for the sake of speed!"

She kicked her foot out and sent Iris flying back into the wall, her magic the only reason she managed to stay conscious.

"You may be older than Magnus, woman, but I am older than you. I am shutting this disgusting plot down now!"

A door beside Iris opened, and a small girl walked out. "Nana!"

Iris instantly focused her attention on the child, kneeling down to her and putting on a smile. "Oh, hi, honeybun. Why don't you go back inside? And don't worry. I'm just playing with them."

"Playtime's over," Izzy declared, having come down the stairs.

She snapped her whip forward, and Iris sent out a blast of storm magic at her. Izzy dodge-rolled under it and moved to strike once more, but Iris picked up the girl and Izzy pulled her whip back before it hit them.

"Put the girl down," She demanded.

"Her name is Madzie, and she's better off with me than left to fend for herself in this cruel world."

Iris turned and opened a portal.

"You can save the redhead, but she still owes me a favor."

With that, she walked through, and the portal closed behind her.

"Izzy…" Alec muttered.

"Alec. You okay?" She asked.

He nodded, pulling himself up. "We have to find Clary."

They rushed through the halls, Shu leading them down the stairs. "Iris has lived here for a while now. I know her well enough to know she keeps a few dungeons on hand in the same place no matter where she moves. Keeps things organized, at least."

They found Clary with Jace, who had made it a little earlier.

"There you are."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm…I'm fine," Clary said, though she didn't seem too sure.

* * *

"Shadowhunters wear white to funerals?" Shu clarified.

"They wear black every other time, so really, white  _is_  for special occasions," Magnus pointed out. "Downworlders aren't invited, you know."

"I never miss a funeral, Shadowhunter or not. I'll just slip in as one. Besides, Joselyn is one of the deceased. I'll say goodbye for both of us. Simon and Luke can't go either, and they knew Joselyn well too. I'll be a secret Downworlder advocate. And Alec's probably shaken up too. If you connect with me, you can try and be there for him too. Besides, too many people have been lost so recently. I give my respect to the dead who never deserved this."


	15. Don't Forget Why You're Fighting

"Good on jam," Magnus relayed.

He grabbed a jar from the shelves and shook the fangs inside.

"Restock werewolf," Shu wrote onto a notepad in front of her.

"Magnus."

Alec walked through the door. "I got your fire message. What's the emergency?"

He looked at what Magnus had in his hand and pointed. "Are those…?"

"Fangs?" Shu asked, snatching them up. "Yes.  _Very_  potent. Good for digestion."

She offered then, and he held up a hand to say ' _Uh, no_.'

"Your loss. I'll be off."

She walked into the other room with the fangs and a list in hand.

"I'm sorry about the emergency call," Magnus said. "But…it was the only way to get your attention."

"Well, since you're okay…I should…probably get back."

He turned to leave.

"I'm  _not_  okay…" Magnus called. "Because you're not okay."

He sighed and walked in front of Alec. "Alexander…you've been to hell and back. And you haven't stopped for a second, taken a moment for yourself."

"Magnus, we're in the middle of a war."

He scoffed. "There will  _always_  be a war. A mission. A…problem to solve. Look, I speak from experience. If you fail to grant time for the things you care about, you'll forget why you're even fighting at all."

To that, Alec couldn't counter. He looked to Magnus, understanding taking over his face, and eventually, he fully gave in with a deep sigh. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

Magnus took Alec out to Maia's, a member of Luke's pack, bar for their first date.

He handed him a beer. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but my bartender friend  _swears_  by this IPA."

"Oh, well, I'm not much of a drinker, period, but I'll take your word for it."

"Cheers."

They clinked their glasses together and each took a drink. Alec cringed at the taste, but did a pretty good job of hiding it. But a stoic face did kinda give it away anyway.

"You hate it."

"No, it's um…it's great."

* * *

Alec hit the cue ball and sank three balls from seemingly impossible angles. "You see that? It's just like archery. It's all about the aim, Magnus."

"Who knew there were so many similarities?"

He was tapping his pool cue, trying not to look impatient but failing.

Alec noticed and lined up to take his next shot. This time, he hit the ball and it did little but hit the cue ball into the next ball he was aiming for and then bounce back in a triangle against the edges of the table.

He sighed. "Can't win 'em all."

He walked over and took a drink of his beer, which he was persevering in order to finish, having made it halfway through. He turned to the sound of the billiards balls clattering and saw Magnus had hit two balls in within his one shot.

"Wait, did you do your…" He waved his hand around. "…thing?"

"Haven't you heard the saying? 'If you can't find the one being hustled in the pool hall…'" He lined up his pool cue. "'…then it's probably you.'"

He hit the cue ball clean over one of the regular ones to whack a red one into the pocket before it ricocheted away from falling in itself.

"Okay," Alec nodded with a smile, having realized that Magnus's impatient look wasn't because he had been losing, but because he was being condescending.

"Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah. Let's play."

* * *

Magnus changed the song on the jukebox and nodded in approval to the upbeat song.

"I suppose we both have a healthy dose of competitive spirit."

"I grew up with Jace. I didn't have much of a choice."

"Trust me, I grew up with Shu. I understand. Some people can't be around that energy. I, in turn, find it invigorating, as I'm sure your exes did as well."

"Lydia never complained."

"I thought you knew Lydia for a millisecond before your arranged marriage."

Alec shrugged and shook his head with his 'I'm totally innocent and have no idea what's going on' face.

"Wait…Lydia…is she your only ex?"

"I just haven't had, uh…you know,  _time_  for a real relationship. You know."

He awkwardly picked up the cocktail Magnus had gotten him and sipped it. "This is…this is good…" He tried, though he was still cringing from the taste.

Magnus had a nervous face on as well "Alexander…just so I'm clear…have you  _ever_  been in a relationship?"

Alec opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again and looked down. The answer evident, Magnus looked down in front of him, silence settling upon them.

* * *

"You're weirded out," Alec finally said.

Magnus shook his head defensively. "Who says I'm weirded out?"

Alec tapped his fingers nervously. "You wanna know  _why_  I haven't been in a relationship? Because of this." He waved his hand between them. "Cause…I didn't wanna feel like there was something wrong with me, because I-I grew up in the Institute, because…I always knew I could have what I wanted."

Magnus couldn't say anything. Alec's life in the Institute had raised him to be unable to be himself, made him afraid of it. What if Magnus had pushed him into something he didn't want? Once again, he worried about ruining Alec's life for his own selfish desires.

"Until you came along," Alec finished.

Magnus swallowed and struggled for the right words. "Nothing's wrong with you. Far from it. But you're so…innocent."

"In some ways, but…I don't want you to treat me any different."

"But you are different. And it's a good thing."

"What about you? I mean you must have had plenty of exes."

"What do you mean?" Magnus asked nervously.

"You know what I mean."

"Alexander…look, I've lived for  _centuries_. I've been with men, woman, Seelies, Warlocks, Vampires…a djinn or two."

"How many?"

Magnus hesitated. "How many?"

"It's not a trick question."

"I…couldn't tell you an  _exact_  number. Shu probably could, considering she's not into the whole dating thing and instead focuses on my love life."

"You can round down if you want."

"Okay. You wanna know? I'll tell you."

Alec looked to him in curiosity.

"Seventeen."

Alec was taken back. "Seventeen?"

Magnus looked down to the table and nodded.

"That…that's…"

Magnus gave him a look of disbelief. He seriously thought it was just seventeen?

"Ugh, this  _had_  to have come up on the  _first_  date?!" Shu shouted to their empty apartment.

Alec's smile dropped in realization. "Seventeen…hundred?"

Magnus looked to the side.

"Seventeen  _thousand?_ "

"It's all in the past. Ancient history. But right now, I'm here. With you."

"Yeah, me and…17,000 other memories."

"Look…I am who I am. And you are who you are. And all the magic in the world can't change that. So…let's just try to make the best of it."

Alec hesitated. He took a deep breath and mustered a smile. "Sure."

* * *

Shu sighed. "It could be worse."

"Wrong."

Charon appeared out of his cloud of smoke. "Valentine has both the cup  _and_  the Soul Sword. With it, he has the ability to obliterate everything with demonic blood, including  _us_ , and every one of your little Downworlder friends. You need to fix this."

"Why me?"

"You, like it or not, are in charge of the demonic safety and well being.  _You_  are our protector, one way or another."

"I never asked to be born the way I am. I quit ruling over demons hundreds of years ago."

"You aren't the Demon Queen, but you are still our sister, you have our blood, and you are the only one who can take on that Shadowhunter."

"And I will. The angelic being that uses the blade has to be struck by lightning. Even for Valentine, it's gonna take a while to accomplish that. He'll have to wait for a storm, and he'll have to find a way to attract the lightning. One way or another, his movements are limited and predictable if he wants to accomplish his goal. Can't you demons do something to stop him or slow him down?"

"He's taken in some of us and done experiments to turn them to his side, make them more powerful than the Shadowhunters. Some are defecting."

"Even knowing how much he hates us and what his plans against us and all demonic blood are?"

"They're brainwashed into pure killers, changed with experiments, and then released into the world. Quite possibly, his possession of the Mortal Cup plays a factor in their submission as well. Most aren't with him consciously."

"Most?"

"Some are with him to try and be undercover. If he succeeds, we've got nothing left to lose, so they figure that they might as well go out with a bang, giving him a good lashing to him and/or his pride if it's the last thing they can do. But I think they're being reckless. They're just doing what they're doing to be on the winning side when this is all over. Some even think they might be able to avoid destruction if they do Valentine's bidding. That's mostly the lesser demons, but the other Greater demons are running and hiding, staying out of this fight. You can stop Valentine, and I know you will, but you have to hurry."

"I'll do what I can."

"That's not good enough."

"Look, I can't promise success. Even I don't know how things will turn out."

"That's because you're locking up that power within you. You've tried to keep it down because both demons and angels have proven to be untrustworthy, and you  _are_  right about that. But right now, the entire demon race is at stake, including the Downworlders, so you'd best get back into the fray soon."

"I can't do it, Chare."

"Do what?"

"I can't go full…power mode anymore. It's not that I'm not trying to, it's that I can't. It feels like there's a block, or something."

"Like you're magically constipated?"

"Oh, shut  _up_."

"Well that block is just your own self-doubt, your own fear of what happens when you embrace who you are. Though you've been living as a Downworlder for the past half a millennia, you've been trying to avoid ties to angels and demons, and therefore being unwilling to accept yourself. You remember that day on the Blackfriars Bridge?"

"I've never told you about that," She snapped.

"I was there. I just took the memory of it. Both me and Camille stopped you and Magnus respectively. Together, we were the ones who brought you off that ledge."

_And if…if it wasn't for Camille and…and…we wouldn't be here right now_.

"I hesitated," She realized. "I was going to say…"

"Someone other than Camille had saved you."

"Why would you take that memory away from me?"

"The same reason I take every memory away from you. Because it's saving you from pain."

"What  _pain?_ "

"Do you know the reason  _why_  you were in that slump? Usually, you had always prevented Magnus from falling too far, but this time in particular, you couldn't support him when you yourself were falling too. After all that you'd been through in your childhood, you would think that you'd be invincible to anything else the world could throw at you."

"And what was so bad? Was it  _your_  fault? That's why you took the memory away. Not to help me, but to save your own skin."

He stepped forward. "Asushunamir-"

She slapped his outstretched hand away. "No. I'm tired of this game between you and I. You use your powers to make sure that nothing bad is ever remembered between us. If you think you can gain my trust this way, you are sorely mistaken. Go ahead and take this memory away. I will  _never_  trust you. Just because I won't remember the reason for my fury doesn't mean it won't be there, waiting to burst free eventually."

He grabbed her hand firmly and shoved her back against the wall and pinning her other arm.

"Listen to me!"

"You gonna give me what you took, or are you going to make me fight you?"

"You're right!" He shouted. "I take memories to save my own skin. I do it to gain your trust. I don't fight fair. But that's because I keep messing up. There are things that I can't change. No matter what we remember, we can't change the past. Only our perspective on it. I mess up. I do things that can't be changed. I make you angry at me, make you resent me because of things that I wish I could change, but you'd never believe me if I told you so. I'm a coward. I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me, unable to look at me. Because when you get angry, you don't yell at me, you don't shout to the heavens how upset you are. You don't shove me back when I come near, you don't try to attack me or let your rage out. You bottle it all up inside. You refuse to speak to me at all. When I come near, all you do is walk away without a word. If I follow, you act as though I'm not even there. Even if I force you to acknowledge my existence, you never say a thing. You were born and raised to keep your feelings inside. But I'd rather have you raging at me, kicking and screaming, than for you to ignore me completely like you do.

"But when you're ignorant of something, you're right. You'll know there something wrong, and no matter how many memories I take from you, you can't ever quench the fires of your fury. But at least when you don't remember, you talk to me. You demand answers that I'm unwilling to give. At least you don't close yourself off to me, no matter how angry you are. And I know I should face the consequences of my actions, stop playing this game between us where I'm trying so hard to keep your trust in me. And maybe I'll start doing that. Just give the word, and I'll give you back everything that I've taken, no matter how good or how bad I feel about it."

Shu was still trying to take in everything he was saying. He admitted everything, how he was doing what he did because he was afraid of her wrath. But…did that mean that he wasn't doing  _any_  of it just for her? Just to help her get over something that was too painful to remember?

Sometimes, taking someone's memories and then returning them after they've grown wiser is the only way to help them move past a bad experience.

She knew that she had been in a really bad place during the Blackfriars Bridge incident, but how extensive had it really been? When she looked back on it, how she had felt didn't make any sense. She knew for a fact that she was unhappy, that she had felt a crushing feeling in her chest that refused to go away, Magnus's own problems only making it worse. But…at the moment, in the here and now centuries later, they felt like nothing but facts. A, B, C, she felt this way. But she just couldn't recreate that feeling. She couldn't understand it anymore.

Charon was offering to give everything back - every sorrow, every rage, every smile - that he'd taken. But she couldn't tell him to do it. She couldn't ask for it, because, at the moment, his honesty was the scariest thing she could fathom.

"Keep them for later," She said. "Let me…ask for them…when I'm ready."

"Okay then."

With that, he disappeared, leaving her leaning against the wall for support. Somehow, she knew her heart wasn't beating so fast out of fear.

* * *

"For a guy so used to portals, I have to admit, nothing beats a late night stroll through the city," Magnus said as he and Alec walked into the apartment.

"Yeah. Gives you time to think."

"You must have thought a lot. You barely said a word the whole way home."

Magnus took off his coat and began to pour himself a drink (as usual) while Alec struggled for words. "Magnus…Do you think…maybe we're too…"

"Different?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

Magnus turned slowly. "We're from… _totally_  different worlds."

"Different centuries."

More silence settled between them.

"Look, I…I should…go."

He moved to leave, and Magnus looked ready to stop him, but couldn't find anything to say.

Then, Alec paused halfway out and sighed, turning back. "Look, I don't care how many people you've been with."

Magnus looked hopeful that they weren't going to end things on a bad note. "I don't care how many people you  _haven't_  been with."

Alec nodded, unable to find anything else to really say. So instead, he stepped forward and kissed him.

Alec was the first to speak when they slowly parted, his voice barely coming out a whisper. "I hear that…relationships, they um…take effort."

Magnus gave a small smile. "I'm all for effort."

They each smiled at each other, before the front door opened and Jace walked through. The two of them moved apart from each other, realizing that when Alec had kissed Magnus, Magnus had moved his hand to Alec's waist and Alec had his hand on Magnus's arm. Magnus crossed his arms in front of him and Alec put his hands together behind him, the two trying to get over the nice moment being ruined by Alec's brother.

"Sorry for killing the mood," Jace said, walking forward with a bag in his hand. "You got a spare room?"

Magnus then looked to him in confusion.

"Jace, what's up?" Shu asked, walking in.

"Aldertree booted me out of Institute. I wasn't able to pledge my allegiance to the Clave when I was on trial with the Soul Sword, and that combined with my demon blood, I'm a threat. He made me leave or threatened to make sure everyone knew what happened during the trial, as if I needed to be hated even more by the others."

"I'll make you a room. Great thing about Warlocks, I could make you your own penthouse if I were that dedicated."

"That would use up way too much magic," Magnus reminded her.

"I know. Just saying. But creating a spare room is the least I can do. Since no way are  _we_  sharing, Wayland."


	16. He Gave a Gift

Magnus and Alec came portaling in, smiling and carrying bags.

"I mean, how would  _they_  feel?" Alec was saying.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't ask in front of the sushi chef," Magnus said, setting his bags down.

"Well, seriously, why do they call it fatty tuna? I mean that's a little degrading."

"Hm, well, I don't think obese tuna sounds any better."

"You know, as much as I love Tokyo and Prague, a bacon burger from the East Village isn't that bad."

"The world is your oyster, Alexander."

He moved to unpack more things from the bags (including an elephant statue which the apartment  _totally_ needed along with all of the other ones) when Alec tapped his shoulder and got his attention.

"I got you something."

"Me?" Magnus asked in surprise.

"Yes. You."

He passed over a small bag, which Magnus took slowly, still pretty shocked.

"Open it," Alec urged, while turning away in slight embarrassment.

He took a deep breath and gathered his courage while Magnus pulled a small charm out of the bag and tossed said bag away to examine the small object. It had Japanese symbols on it along with some small patterns on the fabric. Though it wasn't much, Magnus was instantly attached to it.

"It's supposed to bring you luck and protection," Alec explained.

Magnus looked up to him, smiling. "Thank you, Alexander. You continue to surprise me."

"In good ways, I hope."

They each leaned in for a kiss, but they were interrupted by the sound of laughter in the other room. Both of them sighed in exasperation, Magnus walking behind Alec towards the room.

"I haven't had a roommate this brazen since…Well, since Casanova and I spent the night in the Doge's Palace."

Alec scoffed. "Casanova?" Alec asked like ' _Seriously?_ ' "I'll talk to Jace. He can't stay here forever."

"No, no. Nothing a little magic can't fix."

He waved his hand and his magic whooshed to life before he snapped. The music player flicked on a upbeat music began playing throughout the room.

"All good?" Magnus asked.

Alec smiled and nodded.

* * *

"When I vouched for Jace to stay with us, I did  _not_  approve of a girlfriend, nor  _anything_  that goes on in that room between them. Nor any  _amount_  of girls in general! I did this out of generosity and like of Alexander, but now he's just abusing it."

"He's going through emotional stress," Magnus said as they walked into Maia's bar. "Just let him get it out of his system. Granted, if it continues for much longer, though, I might just kick him out along with you."

They sat at the bar as Maia made cocktails. Magnus slid over a bill. "Thank you, my dear."

"On the house for my best tipper," She said.

"Never trust a stingy Warlock, Maia," Shu warned.

"Not when we have an eternity to acquire wealth," Magnus continued with a wink.

"I'll remember that," She said, taking the money.

"What you got there?" Shu asked.

"A gift," Magnus said, holding the charm Alec had given him. "I can't remember the last time someone bought me one. I'm used to people making demands. 'Reinforce the wards, Magnus,' 'Heal my broken heart, Magnus,' 'Portal me to Paris, Magnus.'"

He then sighed and smiled down at the charm in his hands.

"Is it from someone special?" Maia asked.

He shook his head, still in disbelief himself, but then nodded. "I think so."

Shu smiled and put her hand on his wrist. "I'm so happy for you, Maggie. I support you all the way."

Maia smiled and went back to cleaning some of the beer cups, when the loud clicking of heels got the Warlocks' attention. Behind them, Isabelle swept past and walked up to Rufus, a drug dealer, looking desperate.

"That's-"

"Yep."

"And that's-"

"Yep."

"Probably not good."

"Yep."

"Let's go."

"Yep."

"Whatever it costs," Izzy was saying.

"Rufus, my man," Shu called as they walked up. "I wish I could say it was lovely to see you."

"Magnus, Shu," Izzy said. "What are you doing here?"

"The question is what is  _Rufus_  doing here?" Magnus said. "He knows he's banned from North America…indefinitely."

Rufus gave a glare before sighing and walking past to leave.

" _Qué haces, guapa?_ " Magnus asked (" ** _What are you doing, beautiful?_** ")

Izzy smiled. "I'm here on business."

She walked over to the table, and the two of them followed.

"Drug dealer business?" Shu asked.

"Exactly. I'm trying to crack down on the Downworlder drug trade."

"Isabelle, we don't need magic to know when we're being lied to."

"There's been a spike in the demand for Yin Fen and I have orders to find the source. If you don't believe me, call Aldertree."

Magnus looked down. "Apologies. We've seen the havoc Yin Fen can wreak up close and personal. Nearly cost our friend Jem his life."

"Do you know where to look for the source?"

"Definitely not Rufus. But if you wanna stop a Yin Fen distribution ring, you'll need to find the kingpin."

"Any ideas on who that might be?"

"Probably one of the Night Children."

"Yin Fen is made from vampire venom," Shu explained. "It's how vampires enchant their prey. That venom combined with excessive amounts of blood loss make a vampire's target dazed and high. Except someone found a way to turn that high into a drug. When people get desperate enough, they go straight to the vamps."

She nodded. "Good to know."

"This is dangerous business, Isabelle. Be careful."

She smiled. "I always am."

With a skeptical look, Shu and Magnus walked off.

* * *

When they hopped through the portal back to the apartment, Shu sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I'm turning in. And sound-proofing my room. I don't need another night of hearing Jace and his next girlfriend trying to increase the population of New York."

She headed into her room and waved her hand as the walls, ceiling, and floor all shimmered for a moment. Once the room was quieted from the outside world, she collapsed onto her bed in relief.

With all the drama going on with the Shadowhunters, the Downworlders, the demons, Valentine, her own feelings, she was happy for a break. Solitude was a nice thing sometimes, especially having grown up with Magnus these past few centuries.

After a few minutes of lying there with her thoughts swirling around, calming in the process, she stood and moved to change. She removed her jacket and then her shirt, noticing in the mirror her two necklaces: the one on the longer leather cord being the gem Charon had given her, and the one on the shorter cord she usually kept hidden beneath her shirt being the ring with the runes.

_But none of them can help me with this. Not even Magnus_.

_There is someone. Someone even older than you_.

_I mean another person who knows you even better than you do. The one who's always trying to look out for you, even though he's not very good at showing it_.

_He pointed to her chest where her necklace was_.

She moved her hand to the ring. "If only…"

* * *

_She had watched them burn. She hated them. She had felt as their very souls suffered in pain far longer than a normal person would have, because she kept them alive long enough to feel it all. Yet it was only a fraction of the pain she'd understood, dealt with day by day, she made sure her fury washed upon them all._

_But among the rubble, she saw a man who never should've been there._

_"Uncle Kandai!"_

_She rushed over to the man that had always been so nice to her. A man she thought had moved away, who she thought she'd never see again._

He had returned just in time to see me being dragged off by the men. He had returned because he wanted to take custody of me from my mother.

He told me to call him 'Uncle,' that he was a part of my family by blood or otherwise. But I loved him as a father.

And I killed him.

_"Wake up! Please! I didn't mean to!"_

_She shook him, trying to summon her power again to fix him. She had brought creatures back to life before, healed injuries. But she was drained. Even if she wasn't, she'd only ever brought bugs and small animals back to life at most._

_"Wake up!"_

_She sobbed over the corpse of the man she'd loved, the corpse of the man she'd killed. There was no proper way to identify him anymore. All that remained was a charred humanoid body, laying lifeless after years of agony had been set upon him all at once._

_The only thing that hadn't completely burnt to nothing was a single ring on his finger. Carefully, the small girl slid it free and stared at it, remembering the day he'd showed it to her. It was still too big._

_She gripped it tightly as she sobbed. She cried herself dry, and even then, she didn't stop._

_More men came to take her away. They dragged her off, too tired to break free or use any more power. She screamed for them to let go, but not for her own safety. She didn't want to leave him there to rot away with nothing to remember him. She wanted to give him a proper burial._

_But they took her shouting and struggling._

_The ring was still held firmly in her grip the entire way._

* * *

_When the endless years had come to an end, she was fully aged. She would grow no older than 23 on the outside, and so there was no long a way for her to track how long she'd been there. At least 10 years, but after that, there was no way to be sure. By that logic, she could've been there anywhere from 11 to infinite years._

_She couldn't be sure whether she had gone insane or not, how far she'd bent, if she'd snapped._

_The ring always disappeared when someone came into the room and reappeared when she was alone. It was always within her fist. In her own mind, she had never let go. It was the only thing that kept her alive, she believed. Through all the pain, she felt it within her hand, one way or another. It anchored her. Barely._

_When the earth shook, she was jolted from her sleep. She had no sleep cycle, no routine to the torture. Sometimes it would go on longer than normal, sometimes it was calm for longer than normal. She never went to sleep willingly. Her body merely gave out in exhaustion whenever it wanted to, mostly after a torture session._

_She heard the roaring of the demons outside, the sounds of them screaming out in pain. The earth rattled from the force of explosions, though her chains held her in place. She had been moved many times, but the room she was currently in had only one door, one exit, one place to see what was happening._

_Outside, she saw a man with a glowing blade stab one of the lesser demons that had been watching her cell. There was little point in putting anyone too strong to watch over her, as she'd shown little signs of improvement in her powers. The fact that she had held on so long was their reasoning for continuing. She was strong physically and mentally, and her power_ was  _growing as she grew older and her body began growing tolerances._

_On some occasions, her form of torture was a survival room, where she had to either do some kind of technique to defeat her enemies - some lesser demons pitted against her - or she'd be punished. She would've normally just given in, as though she wasn't used to punishment already, but her body had other plans, allowing her quick learning of skills and abilities to keep herself alive. Another reason she was still of interest. Demons were patient, and to them, ten plus years must have been nothing compared to whatever they would get out of her fully breaking._

_The man with the glowing blade looked into the room before slicing the lock on the door with ease. He walked over and kneeled in front of the broken girl chained to the wall, staring her in the eyes and examining her closely._

_She sensed blood different from the demons, though it was still powerful in its own way and definitely not mundane. She'd grown up with her mother, who she knew was mundane, and her aura was nothing compared to all the demons she'd been around. Still, the blood resonated with her in a familiar way, similar to the relationship between her and the demons, but also much different._

_He gave her a long, hard glare, before he then stabbed her through the stomach, pinning her to the wall behind her. She coughed up blood and felt her body going numb. She'd been put through more pain over the years than this, but there was no way to become tolerant to being run clean through like a shish-kebab._

_But the pain seemed duller than usual. She heard her heartbeat pounding in her ears, felt the sword within her seeming to shoot waves of energy through her body. And it wasn't just agony, it was empowering. Like a drug. Her head swirled, and an unidentifiable voice resonated through her skull._

_"_ Angel blood _," The voice informed her. "_ They shall show you no mercy, my dear. They want you dead and gone. Kill him. Let out your rage. Angels and demons can't compare to what you are. You have the power to protect, the power to destroy. Can you feel the blood within you resonating? You have been exposed to mundanes, demons, and now you are exposed to angels. You are complete. _"_

_She felt the pain from the wound in her torso, but she also felt the pulsing of her heart and blood. Eventually, the stinging wound could not longer be felt. Her right eye darkened to be completely black, her right eye brightened to be completely white. Her hair took on matching colors on the respective sides, and her nails and teeth began sharpening. Out of her back, two wings forced their way out, one at her right glowing pure white with light blue accents, the other at her left midnight black with blood red accents._

You are complete.

* * *

Over time, Shu had gained control of the transformation. It was rarely ever something she liked showing off, as it was always hard to reverse no matter how much practice she had. To think. If only that man had come and killed her sooner, she might have escaped that place long before her eternity under the demon's torture had broken her.

Shu hadn't transformed for over a millennia. At this point, she didn't think she could anymore. It was relaxing, not even feeling the monster inside her that was her full form. No more fear of letting it all out.

At the same time, she was far from full power without that feeling. The wards that were preventing her from finding Valentine shouldn't have been so effective. Now, the demons were relying on her to keep them safe and stop the rogue Shadowhunter, but she couldn't even make it past such simple protection and cloaking spells.

She twisted the ring at her chest between her fingers while she laid on her bed.

If she was understanding this right, to activate her angelic demon form, she needed to be exposed to pure angelic power and pure demon power around the same time. The first Shadowhunters were closer to the angels than any of the current ones, being the first generation and all, and she had been exposed to the most powerful demons in existence for countless years.

Replicating that wouldn't be easy, and she seemed to be getting rusty without it. It just didn't feel like there was any way to get that power back. She couldn't even remember how it felt.

_Well that block is just your own self-doubt, your own fear of what happens when you embrace who you are. Though you've been living as a Downworlder for the past half a millennia, you've been trying to avoid ties to angels and demons, and therefore being unwilling to accept yourself_.

"Unwilling to accept myself, huh?"

* * *

Magnus was about to walk to his room when he heard a knock on the door. "Hmm."

He walked to the door in curiosity and opened it to find Alec coming through. "Hey."

"Jace here?" He asked, taking off his jacket.

"No. He left hours ago," Magnus said, closing the door. "Are you okay?"

By the time the door was fully close, Alec quickly cupped Magnus's face and planted a kiss onto his lips. Magnus was slightly taken back by the boldness and pulled back.

"Hey, what's  _this_  all about? I mean, I'm not complaining, but…"

"I-I just thought…you know, I thought we could…take the next step."

Magnus nodded in realization. "The sex step."

"Yeah."

Magnus put his hands on Alec's shoulders, taking a deep breath. "Alexander…I may be experienced, but…it's rare that I've ever felt this way about someone and…" He opened and closed his mouth, struggling for words. "I worry that once we…" He pulled back and turned away. "That if we rush into this…that I may lose you," He admitted.

"What? Why would you think that?"

He sighed. "Look…you're not the only one that feels vulnerable."

"Magnus…you have nothing to worry about." He stepped forward, forcing Magnus back. "I want this."

With that, he kissed Magnus, taking him back into the other room.

* * *

Shu heard screaming. Ithuriel was screaming.

Valentine had an angelic being, a storm was brewing outside.

How did that Shadowhunter get ahold of an angel?

Shu lowered the potency of the soul bond between her and Magnus, a purple bracelet of energy appearing on her wrist but no chain between them. Let Magnus have this night to himself. It was Shu's battle to fight, for demons and angels alike, and he didn't need to be dragged in.

She looked out her balcony window and squinted, searching around for angelic power. She finally found a fight between Clary, Jace, and about a dozen Shadowhunters on a rooftop.

Opening a portal, she jumped through and summoned her sword. Sweeping it in a wide arc, she sliced down half of the Circle members in one sweep, moving to slice down another two. Clary and Jace helped finish the rest of them off, before they moved to break the chains.

"Clary, give me a hand, will you?" Shu requested.

She swung her sword and began cutting through the chains, while Clary held her head as Ithuriel shouted out. Then, she looked up in realization before moving her stele to the chains binding the angel's wrists.

"What's happening?" Jace asked. "What are you doing?"

"He's communicating with me."

"He's…wh-?"

She drew a rune and it burned through the enchanted chains, Shu ripping free the rest of them before Ithuriel was able to pull his wrists apart on his own. His wings spread as he looked up to the sky, but then he held out his hands for Clary and Jace to take.

They did so curiously, before Ithuriel showed them a vision of the Soul Sword falling into a field with a clang, before a dark being moved to grab it, runes activating along the blade, before both it and the demon shattered to dust and blew away in the wind.

"What was that?" Clary asked.

Ithuriel gave no answer, instead releasing their hands and transforming to light, shooting back up into the sky.


	17. How to Ruin a Rune Ceremony

"I don't get along with angels any better than demons, but I knew Ithuriel," Shu said. "I'd go and see how he's doing, but I don't think I'm welcome by the other angels."

"Perhaps they'll see a little more good in you for saving their friend."

"Angels don't bend so easily. I'm still dangerous to them. Demons and Downworlders are just slightly more lenient towards getting along with those of angel blood, but angels aren't so forgiving. I understand they have reasons, but I'd prefer to stay out of things."

"Considering how rarely angels are ever seen, I'd think you're doing a pretty good job."

"That's because the earth leans more towards demon territory than angel territory. Shadowhunters are only one race of angelic beings, while Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, Seelies, etc. greatly outnumber them down here. Over the generations, even Shadowhunter blood has become diluted. Such perfectionists."

"Glad to know you love us."

"Really depends on the person. As always. Even demons can have good interests."

"Like Valak?"

"Possibly. How would I know?"

"He keeps visiting you. The wards alert me of when he comes to the apartment, you know that right?"

"I know. Well, I've known him since I was young, as far as I'm aware. He's one of the greater demons that I get along with best."

"He seems to like you."

"Duh. What's not to like?"

"Well…"

She threw a pillow at him. "Shut up."

"Did you move the phoenix talons?"

"Right here."

There was a knock at the door before Alec walked in. "Hey."

"Hi," Shu said. "Magnus, toss me the diamond dust."

He did so and she moved to the cauldron she was working with.

Alec sighed. "My mother's back."

"Which means I'll make myself scarce," Magnus declared.

"No, I have something else in mind. How would you feel about throwing a party?"

Magnus smiled. "Have you  _met_  me?"

Alec had his 'there's a catch' face on. "It  _is_  for Max's Rune Ceremony."

And Magnus's smile faded. "I think I'll pass."

"Magnus."

"I'm  _sure_  I'll love Max. But Maryse? That woman hates me."

"That's sort of the point of the party. So that she can see that…this,  _us_ , it's…not going away."

Magnus swallowed. "You sure about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Many reasons…" Shu muttered.

But Magnus looked to Alec's face and sighed, smiling with a nod. "Then I'd better get to work."

He patted Alec's shoulder before walking off, grabbing a book from the shelf along the way.

* * *

"Magnus!" Jace called.

Out on the balcony, it seemed Jace was being assaulted by a small horde of cats while he was working with a ton of books and scrolls.

"Aw!" Magnus exclaimed.

He looked to one of the cats and muttered some French. "You're new, aren't you?"

He waved his hand as it flared to life with magic, refilling all the cat bowls with milk. Seeing this, all of the cats instantly knew what had happened and made their way over to the bowls.

"I spoil them," Magnus explained. "I can't help it. It's the only way to win them over."

"Well, I guess when you put your mind to it, you can win over just about anyone, huh?"

Magnus gave a face of exasperation. "You're talking about Alec."

"Look, I've been there," Jace said as Magnus sat down. "I know it's a whirlwind fling that burns so hot all it can do is flame out."

"Is this what you think it is? A fling?"

"I don't know what it is, but I know my brother. He's sensitive. And now that you guys have taken things to the next level…"

"He told you."

"No, he didn't  _have_  to. We're parabatai."

Magnus gave a look of concern. He opened his mouth to say something, raising a finger, but in all honesty didn't wanna ask.

Jace's face suddenly took on his own look of panic as he quickly looked back down to his work. "No! No, no, no. No, it's not…it's not like  _that_. It's…I can, uh…I can just…I can sense that he's happier."

Magnus nodded in relief.

"Look, I'll make this simple, okay?" Jace said, setting down the notebook he was writing on. "I'm never gonna let anyone hurt him."

"Then we have that in common," Magnus said calmly. "You think I'd invite Maryse Lightwood to my home for just anyone?"

Magnus raised his eyebrows with a smile, and Jace couldn't help but break his stoic demeanor as well and join him.

Jace sighed. "I hope this party has an open bar."

Magnus nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Alexander," Shu called.

"Shu, what are you doing here?"

"Well, first off, I was coming to look for tips on the Rune Ceremony thing. It's been a long time since I've been acquainted with Shadowhunter ways, and we  _really_  don't want to get anything wrong for this party. But, I also came because I needed to speak with you."

"Yeah, sure. About what?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but sighed. "I really shouldn't have to say this, but it's mandatory. And…well, Magnus is getting the talk from Jace, and I'm obligated to do so for you as well. Just…try not to hurt Magnus, all right? I have… _never_  seen him so in love with someone. You've…had the conversation about all his exes, right?"

Alec sighed. "Yeah."

"You should really know that out of all the people he's ever loved or been in some sort of relationship with, I could count the number of people that even compare to you on my fingers. Not to mention the fact that a couple of them he never even made it to…where you are."

Alec nodded awkwardly. "He told you."

"He didn't have to. He told you about our soul bond, correct? It's like your parabatai bond, but even stronger."

Alec gave a concerned look, pointing to her and opening his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I can weaken the bond when necessary!" She quickly blurted. "And I did! I'm not  _that_  invested in your relationship!"

He took a deep breath and sighed in relief.

"But you should know that if you hurt him, I  _will_  know about it. I have confidence things will work themselves out when they get bad. And yes, they  _will_  get bad here and there, but it's up to both of you to persevere through those moments. I believe you two are gonna be fine, but it won't be an easy journey - if the beginning of this relationship is anything to go by."

"Thanks. For supporting us."

"No problem. I play the role of both the protective sister and the bonded friend, so I have done my duties. Just be happy that I'm not threatening to break your nose, which I had to do for Camille. Both the threatening and the breaking of noses. And other bones. But…I don't think there's any need for that this time."

"Glad to know. And I promise you, I won't hurt him any time soon. Not of my own free will. If I do, I'll take any punishment you wanna dish out."

"Good. Now, onto those ceremony plans, shall we?"

* * *

"I think it turned out pretty well," Shu said.

"The night has barely begun, my dear," Magnus reminded her.

"Glass half-full, bro."

"I'm worried the empanadillas are soggy," He muttered. "I gave the chef  _specific_  directions to-"

"Magnus," Alec interrupted. "Everything is perfect."

"See? Even he agrees," Shu said.

Behind them, the door opened and Max and Maryse came through.

"Max!" Alec called. "Mother."

They came over, and Alec put his hand on Max's shoulder. Alec and Maryse gave awkward smiles to each other, Maryse and Magnus gave even  _more_  awkward smiles to each other, and Shu just smiled to Max.

"I heard you like to drink," Maryse said, offering a bottle.

Alec's smile began to sink into a 'Seriously?' look, and Shu let out a breathy chuckle, taking the bottle. "Welcome, Maryse."

"Max, this is your night," Magnus said, waving him forward to the party.

There were guitar players playing acoustic Spanish music, an ice sculpture of the angelic power rune and people milling about and dancing.

"You have exotic taste, don't you?" Maryse commented.

"Oh, the Spanish theme is in honor of you and your husband," Magnus explained.

Maryse's face seemed on the verge of a scowl but she was barely holding back. "Really? How so?"

"Alec told me that Robert proposed to you in Barcelona. I wanted to celebrate the joyous memory. Especially since he couldn't be here."

Maryse looked to Alec, who was smiling in agreement. Max and Shu were looking back and forth between the exchange, clearly expecting hell to break loose  _any_  second now.

"How sweet that Alec feels comfortable sharing our personal family stories with you. Especially considering your…disparate backgrounds."

And now Alec's face turned 'Seriously?' again.

"How about a drink?" Shu offered. "Sangria for the lady, a Roy Rodgers for the guest of honor. Magnus?"

The two of them walked off, and once they were out of range, Shu let out a deep sigh. "Times like these are when I might actually consider a drink for myself."

"I do  _not_  blame you, sister."

* * *

Magnus and Shu caught Clary storming out, her eyes and cheeks wet with tears.

"Hey, what's going on, biscuit?" Magnus asked.

She shook her head. "It's Simon. He poured his heart out about wanting to be with me, and then…then he hooks up with Maia."

"That doesn't sound like Simon," Shu admitted.

"Are you sure you haven't had too much sangria?" Magnus asked, holding out his glass and looking at it. "It's strong. I made sure of it."

She sighed. "Please, all right? I just need to leave."

She turned to go but Shu grabbed her wrist. "Hey, don't. We'll figure out what's going on with Simon, but tonight's about Max. And Alec and Izzy. You'll never forgive yourself if you're not there for your friends. Okay?"

Clary sniffled and wiped her eye. She looked back to the party and pursed her lips before walking back in.

* * *

"I don't see anything," Max said.

"That's because you're not looking hard enough," Magnus said, holding his hand out.

He snapped and waved his hand quickly before a present appeared in his hands.

He passed it to Max. "Congratulations, young Shadowhunter."

"What do you say, Max?" Alec asked.

"Thank you," He said weakly.

Shu gave a weak smile and Magnus stood, ruffling his hair.

"Where's your Warlock mark?" The boy asked.

"Max…" Alec warned.

"You were just as curious at his age," Maryse reminded him.

"It's okay," Magnus said. "I only share with my closest friends."

Magnus let his cat eyes show, and Max flinched in surprise. "How much of you is a demon?"

"Max, enough," Jace said. "It's not how we treat our friends. Apologize to Magnus."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Hey, just because you're getting your first rune doesn't mean you can talk to your brother like that," Alec scolded.

"Jace isn't my brother."

Now even Maryse looked concerned.

"Max," Alec snapped.

"Mom says you're not even part of our family."

Magnus and Shu slipped away awkwardly, Max ran out after then, Maryse tried to explain to Jace, but he stomped off as well.

"Once again, another nice chat with the Lightwoods," Shu muttered.

"At least we didn't show him  _your_  Warlock mark," Magnus said.

"Ho-ho, that would've been fun."

"Oh, great, there's Clary again."

"Still pissed off."

"Slow down, hotshot," Magnus said, blocking her from Simon.

"Get out of my way, Magnus."

"Oh no. I'm not letting you make a scene. This is an elegant affair, not an episode of the Real Housewives of Idris."

"Tell Simon that because I can't stand here while he hits on Maia right in front of me!"

Magnus and Shu turned to look, but Simon was hanging out with another of the Shadowhunters and talking over their drinks.

"I think we have a different idea of courtship," Shu said carefully.

She looked over to the side to find that Jace was showing Izzy how Maryse was KO'd in his room after she tried to kill him.

"I can't stay here, okay?" Clary said. "Everyone is acting completely insane! I have to leave!"

Shu grabbed her wrist. "Not while you're hallucinating."

They pulled her to the side of the room.

"Stay right here while we figure out what's going on," Magnus ordered.

They walked off, but of course Clary walked off the moment they were gone.

Magnus and Shu slipped into Jace's room to see the knocked out Maryse. "Okay, the sangria may have been too strong," Magnus commented.

"She just tried to kill me, Magnus," Jace said.

Shu kneeled down and began waving her magic over Maryse's face. "This will help."

"She just threw an ax at my head. Okay. It's stuck in the shelf right there. See for yourself."

"Jace, there's nothing there," Izzy said.

"It's right there. Why can't you see that?"

Shu and Magnus looked up from Maryse, but there was still nothing.

Maryse gasped and opened her eyes. "Mom, are you okay?" Izzy asked.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't let her up," Jace protested. "She's out of her mind."

"Jace, I came here to  _apologize_  to you," Maryse protested, getting to her feet and wiping herself off.

"She just said it, don't you hear her?"

"Listen to me," Magnus said. "Nobody's trying to kill you. You have to believe me. Someone's playing with our minds. Feeding into our insecurities…"

"Alec! Alec, no!"

"That was Clary," Shu muttered. "Oh my gods, that came from the roof!"

She rushed out of the room with the other following behind. She sped through the party faster than anyone should have been able to run, going up the stairs to the roof just in time to find Alec standing at the edge of the roof, Clary trying to coax him down.

He held his arms out, and then leaned backwards.

"Alec!"

Shu held her hand out and Alec was surrounded by her magic, stopping him from his fall. Magnus walked out and waved his hand, Alec glowing with his magic as well as being pulled back to safety and sedated.

The two of the hurried over to him while Izzy and Jace came up next. "What happened?" Izzy asked.

"All of a sudden he started talking about how I hated him for killing my mom," Clary explained.

"Alec?!" Maryse called.

"It's okay," Shu said. "We sedated him when we pulled him from the ledge."

"You know what, you stay away from him," Jace said to Maryse. "You can't be trusted."

" _I_  can't be trusted?" She demanded. "Now you see why I was wary of having a party at a Warlock's house."

"Wow, what-what's going on here?" Simon asked, coming up.

"Oh, what do you care?" Clary asked. "Maia is at the bar."

"Yes, and Alec's on the ground," Simon said, confused at her harsh tone. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"You're all gonna be okay," Magnus said, standing. "Everyone just stay here. I'll be right back."

Magnus walked downstairs and went into his cabinets, opening a crest and pulling out a book before hurrying back up.

"What did you say to my son?" Maryse demanded to Clary. "You don't think Alec feels guilty  _enough?_ "

"You talked to Clary, did you?" Simon demanded to Jace. "That's why she's acting all weird."

"Listen, I did  _nothing_ -"

"You brought him up here."

"I did not bring him up here! I-"

Simon, Jace, Clary, and Maryse all began arguing louder and louder while Magnus flipped through his book. Shu sighed in exasperation before joining him in flipping through the pages and then pointing out a spell.

Together, the two began speaking a French incantation before then waved their hands around the ground and grabbed a wisp of magic, the Shadowhunters (and Simon) all silencing.

They all began to look around, confused.

"Mom…" Jace muttered.

"Jace…"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Um, what's going on?" Simon asked.

"Simon…I am  _so_  sorry, I…" Clary began. "I-I know you didn't kiss Maia."

"You thought I kissed Maia?"

"It seems a Warlock's has been having a little fun at our expense," Shu explained.

"Is he okay?" Maryse asked, kneeling next to Alec.

"What happened?" Simon asked.

"Alec," Clary muttered.

Magnus closed his spellbook, before it disappeared in his hands. "Someone has taken my spellbook," He announced.

Shu waved her hands and the wards activated around the entire building, shimmering to life with extra power.

"You're putting your wards up?" Clary asked.

"Nobody leaves until we get back," Shu said firmly. "I'm going to be punching an uninvited Warlock tonight."

* * *

"I was  _this close_  to lining up a three-way, and you guys let yourselves get spelled?"

Magnus finished his scan and rolled his eyes. Alec shoved Raj out of the room.

"Is he the last one?" Jace asked.

"It appears we're the only two Warlocks here," Magnus said, waving his hands as the wards around the building fell.

"Magnus, what happens if we don't find your spellbook?" Clary asked.

"That's not an option you want to explore," Shu muttered.

"That book can undo every spell I've ever cast," Magnus explained. "From the elementary to the complex. In new and old lang…uages…" He paused in realization. "Champenois."

"It's an old French dialect," Shu explained.

"Chat roux…"

"The red-haired cat?" Shu asked.

Magnus waved his hands and the wards around the building rose once more.

He walked off and the others followed in confusion. "Magnus, what cat?" Alec asked.

He put his fingers up for silence as they walked into Magnus's bedroom and looked around. Everyone scattered about the room, before they found a lump hiding underneath the bedsheets.

Magnus nodded to Jace, who pulled the covers up to reveal a screeching red-haired cat. It tried to bolt, but Shu shot it with a reversal spell and it revealed Iris.

"Duratus!" She shouted, sending out a freezing spell.

Magnus and Shu blocked the spell, but the other Shadowhunters (and Simon) were all frozen in place.

"I hate party crashers," Magnus muttered.

"I was always more of a dog person," Shu agreed.

She threw a blast of magic at Iris, sending her out of the room and into a bookshelf. She managed to pick herself up from the rubble, but Magnus closed the doors before she could bolt. The two began throwing waves of spells at her, closing off the other exits to the room and blasting a bit of concrete in the process.

Iris threw her own spell, and the two ducked out of the way as it hit a light and sent out a shower of sparks. Iris threw another, but Magnus blocked it and it bounced back towards her and she dodged out of the way.

Shu gathered energy together and sent out a powerful wave, capturing Iris and squeezing her tight. "Do  _not_ test my patience, Iris! You nearly killed my friend, broke into my house, and now you've made me break a nice vase. I think you know I'm notorious for breaking a few other things when people cross me."

Magnus sent out his own energy to join into the fray, raising Iris off the ground as she struggled to even scream.

"You haven't changed one bit since the last time I saw you crawling from the ruins of la Bastille," Magnus muttered. "Old French spells. Your favorite." He pulled his hands apart and strained Iris further. "Where are my counterspells?"

"Valentine!" She strained. "He has Madzie too. If I don't go back, I don't know what he'll do to her."

"What does Valentine want with my counterspells?"

"I don't know."

Magnus twisted his hands and pushed one of Iris's arms at a bad angle while pushing her other at an opposing one.

"I don't know!" She shouted. "All…all he said was that I had to get them for him. And I wasn't to harm Clary, or he'd make Madzie suffer. Magnus, please. I'm all Madzie has. Have mercy."

"After everything you've done?" Shu demanded.

"Release them," Magnus said, nodding towards the room where the others were.

Iris sighed and held her hand out, and a moment later, the others walked through.

"Clary Fairchild…you made a blood oath," Iris strained. "Find Madzie."

Magnus threw his hand forward, and Iris went flying through a portal. "She's the Clave's problem now," He said.

* * *

"This is why my counterspells book is warded against anyone else's magic," Shu muttered.

"Okay, what is Valentine up to, anyway?" Alec asked.

"I don't know," Clary said.

Jace caught that look in Clary's eyes that said she was going to go doing something stupid.

"It's too dangerous," Jace warned.

"Jace, they're our family. They need to know."

"Know what?" Izzy asked.

"So, you haven't told them yet?" Shu asked. "You Shadowhunters are the wisest of all creatures, all right."

"The angel Ithuriel," Clary began. "Valentine was going to use him to activate the Soul Sword. He needs someone with pure angel blood to activate it."

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Simon muttered.

"It's not," Jace said. "With the Soul Sword activated, Valentine could decimate the entire Downworld. The angel showed us a vision of the demon who could destroy the sword. If we could find that demon, we could stop Valentine."

"How did you two save the angel?" Magnus asked.

"I was there," Shu said. "I snuck out and broke the shackles around Ithuriel while you were preoccupied."

Jace and Clary were sharing a look, Jace shaking his head no.

"I also used a rune," Clary admitted. "The angel gave me some."

"New runes," Jace agreed grimly. "Ones no one's ever seen before."

"Why did he chose you?" Izzy asked.

"I have no idea."

"I might," Shu said.

"Years ago, a Silent Brother told me about a special connection the original Shadowhunters had with the angel Raziel," Magnus agreed. "That they could communicate from afar through…visions. Because they were created from his blood."

"I met the original Shadowhunters," Shu said. "They were certainly different from the Shadowhunters today. Farther from the angels' power. Though it is entirely possible that Clary may have a blood connection to that angel, to Ithuriel, and that must mean she has pure angel blood."

"That's why Valentine wants Clary unharmed," Jace realized. "Clary can activate the Soul Sword."

* * *

"Can you activate the Soul Sword?"

"I've got enough pure angel blood in me that it's entirely possible. Just half of my essence - the demon half - would be burnt away in the process. Which would  _really_  fucking hurt. Not that Valentine needs to know that. Keeping all our aces together in one places is probably the best option. Clary is the main target, and I'm just the girl standing at the sidelines until I'm needed."

"Let's hope that works out for us."


	18. The Key to The Soul Sword

"How many Downworlders do you think live in New York?"

"I don't know," Magnus said. "But they're not all your responsibility."

"But  _you_  are."

Magnus smiled. "I can take care of myself."

"Maybe. But this is different. You may have lived through the fall of Rome, but even the Dark Ages couldn't have been this dark."

"Alexander…I know things may seem bleak, but…nothing was as devastating as seeing you standing on that ledge."

"It was the magic. I would never, never-"

"I know. I know. But magic can't create fears. Only bring them out."

"Magnus…"

"You don't have to explain yourself. I've been through it myself. Just promise you'll tell me if things ever get that bad."

Shu opened the door behind them to find Jace and Clary running in.

Magnus saw them and rolled his eyes. "Don't you people have phones?"

"We need your help," Jace said.

Shu took Clary's hand and saw that the flesh was beginning to burn, char, and die. The infection seemed to have overtaken all of Clary's fingers and was spreading up her hand fast.

* * *

"La Chair Brûlée," Shu declared. ( _ **Pronounced: La share broo-lee-A**_ )

"I'm guessing that's not a dessert?" Clary said.

"It means 'The burnt flesh,' in French," Magnus explained. "It's an old blood oath spell."

"Then it must be Iris," Alec concluded. "She said you owe her a favor."

"At Max's party, she said I have to find Madzie," Clary remembered.

"Then we'd better start looking," Shu said. "We can get rid of the pain, but that's about it. I'm afraid once the magic reaches your heart…"

"So if I don't find Madzie…"

Magnus looked away and Shu looked down with a sigh.

"I'm dead."

"No…" Jace muttered. "No, there has to be a cure. There has to be something we can do to stop this."

"Can't we  _force_  Iris to undo this?" Alec suggested.

"I wish it were that easy," Magnus said. "But blood oath spells are completely binding. Even Iris herself can't reverse it now."

* * *

"The entire Downworld is most likely gonna go after Clary," Shu said. "Kill her and the Soul Sword can't be used anymore. They'd rather make the hard choice of killing one than risking millions."

"And you're going to go and protect her?"

"Her goal is to find Madzie. If Valentine manages to raise that girl, he'll have a fully willing Warlock on his side. The least I can do is find the girl and stop the blood oath. Everything else after that is up to Clary. If she gets killed, she gets killed. If she survives, she better start taking responsibility and hiding herself properly. Valentine takes her alive, there'll be little we can do about it."

"Lucian has called us to a meeting as representatives of the Warlocks. Raphael and Meliorn are also going to be there. He probably wants to discuss a peace treaty."

"Oh, that's going to go well. Lucian might be willing to stand down, but his pack might not be. He's pushed their trust one too many times, and when the whole Downworld is definitely at stake, it's not gonna be easy to pull anyone into a ceasefire."

"Well, we might as well try, at least."

"Remember, no bias towards knowing Clary. We have to keep the remaining Warlock's safety in mind. As if they needed any more reason to hate us for hanging around Shadowhunters so often and being the most notorious giving us a bit of jealous customers."

"We can be civil about it."

"Right then. Let's go."

* * *

Meliorn was the last to arrive at Maia's empty bar, escorted by two soldiers.

"Meliorn," Luke greeted. "What happened to your face?"

He referred to the marks and vein-like scars stretching across the left of his face and neck.

"My punishment for helping Clary Fairchild into one of the Queen's realms," He said simply.

" ** _Well that doesn't sound encouraging,_** " Shu mentally sighed.

" ** _Nope,_** " Magnus agreed.

" ** _I hope Luke has a plan here._** "

"Well, it's good to see you," Luke said.

"I'd say the same, but sadly, I'm incapable of lying."

Shu smiled. Yep, Seelie in a bad mood.

"Shall we get this over with?"

"Careful," Magnus warned. "Seelie armor-"

"Means war," Luke finished. "I noticed."

Raphael and Shu looked around to the Seelie and the Werewolf. Things were going to get rough.

"So I assume you all know why I called you here."

"We've heard rumors," Shu admitted.

"Well, unfortunately, the rumors are true. Valentine wants to use the Soul Sword to decimate the entire Downworld, and he needs Clary to activate it."

"And you have a plan?" Raphael asked.

"Well, we can't defeat Valentine on our own. But together…maybe we have a shot."

"Whatever it is, we can't have him get to Clary," Magnus reminded them.

"I agree," Meliorn said. "But on behalf of the Seelie Queen, I'd like to propose an alternative. Execute Clary Fairchild on sight."

Magnus took a careful breath. "Care to rethink that?"

"You'd be rotting in the City of Bones had she not  _insisted_  we save your life," Luke reminded him.

"Then consider this my way of returning the favor," He said. "By killing her, I'll be saving you from yourselves. This counsel is biased. You've all allowed yourselves to become too involved with the Shadowhunters. Joselyn Fairchild. Alec Lightwood. And you."

He looked over to Raphael, who shifted nervously in his seat.

"You've been seeing Isabelle, haven't you?"

Everyone except Shu looked to him curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Raphael asked.

"I'd recognize that perfume anywhere."

"Then you're no different from the rest of us."

"I'll admit I know her charms better than anyone. But unlike you, my feelings never affect my judgement."

"My judgement's fine. If Clary has to die to protect our people, so be it."

"Killing Clary is not entirely out of the question," Shu agreed.

"You're not seriously considering this," Luke demanded.

"As the oldest one in this room, I am. Killing on sight seems harsh, however, if Clary falls into the hands of Valentine I would kill her without hesitation to save the rest of the Downworld. I love Clary like a daughter, I watched her grow up just like you, Luke. And I know that if we ask her and her alone - no one else influencing her and no one answering for her because they don't want to lose her - if we asked Clary Fairchild if she wanted to give her life for the sake of all Downworlders, I know she would say yes. Why don't you ask  _her_  how she feels about this? Because this is her life against  _all_  of our people. I am a nice person, Lucian, I hate the Clave for making stupid decisions just because it's 'the law,' and they'd snuff out anyone who questions their authority, but even I have to consider what is at stake here.  _If_  we can find a way to stop Valentine before he gets his hands on Clary, we can keep her alive, but if we can't and Valentine has even the  _slightest_  chance of catching her, we kill her. Deal?"

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?!" Luke demanded.

"Buying time," Shu said firmly. "There was going to be no way to convince the Seelies or the Vampires to not hunt Clary. If I make myself look like I'm willing to do so as well, they trust me and my judgement skills enough to make a deal. Obviously you and Magnus were never going to be able to convince Meliorn that you were willing to turn on Clary. Raphael did so because he had his honor on the line, and he has helped the Shadowhunters too many times to convince the Vampires to do so again. You are on the same uneven ground with your pack and you know it. I am  _not_  enlisting the aid of the other Warlocks. I'm having them stand down and leave the rest to me. We go along with Meliorn and gain his trust as those who are going to stand beside him to save the Downworld. Because that is the best we can do right now. I've lived for thousands of years, Lucian. I've dealt with Greeks and Romans, I've dealt with kings, queens, Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Trust me. This is the only route we have."

Luke sighed. "Get to her first."

"I will try. Right now, be careful that you don't lose any more trust than you already have. Keep being too adamant about helping Clary, protecting Clary, not killing Clary, and people will begin to doubt you. Your pack is already questioning you, and I don't think Maia is going to keep respecting you if you're willing to throw her in a storage closet when you know she's claustrophobic."

"You know about that?"

"I heard. The only thing that's keeping your pack in check is the fact that you're their alpha, but I am willing to bet someone is  _so_  close to challenging you."

"I hear you. I know."

"I hope so. Now I'm going to try and find Clary before anything else. We also have that blood oath to worry about. Oh geez. That girl is one piece of work."

"You're just noticing this now?"

"I've tolerated it up until now. She's finally managed to wear this immortal down. She is something, all right."

* * *

"You said you know where Izzy is?" Alec asked as he walked into the apartment.

"Well, not exactly," Magnus said.

He paced back into the room from the balcony.

"You know, I expect this from Aldertree…but not from you. What's going on? And why do I seem to be the last person to know about it?"

Magnus sighed and turned back to Alec. "A couple days ago, Shu and I saw Isabelle trying to buy Yin Fen from a certain reprobate Warlock at the Hunter's Moon."

"Are you sure it was her?"

He nodded with a sigh. "We asked her what she was doing, but she told me that she was undercover."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"She's an excellent liar. It wasn't until this evening that I put it all together. Something Meliorn said at the Downworlder meeting. I think she's getting her fix straight from the source."

"Where is she?"

* * *

Alec rushed head first into Raphael's place, beating down any Vampire that got in his way.

" ** _Trouble in paradise?_** " Shu asked.

" ** _Was this_ ever _paradise?_** "

" ** _True enough. Don't let him kill Raphael. In the state he's in, I have no doubt he'd do it with his bare hands. Hurry up._** "

" ** _I know. What about you? How are things going?_** "

" ** _I'm heading to Clary's location now, but there are plenty of other Downworlders I'm trying to avoid. Oh, look. She and Simon are being all lovey-dovey on the top of a van. In plain sight. Ugh. That 1%. Gotta go._** "

" ** _Me too. See ya._** "

Magnus rushed in to find Alec punching Raphael as hard as he could on the floor. He held his hand out, his magic grabbing Alec's fist as Raphael began to bleed.

"Alec, stop!"

He pulled Alec off of Raphael and he stood in a huff. "This is my family. If you had told me about the Yin Fen none of this would've happened."

"I didn't know," Magnus pleaded.

"You knew enough! We're leaving."

He grabbed Isabelle's arm and dragged her off, his sister wobbling on her feet.

Raphael stood, his cheek bleeding from Alec's assault. "I wasn't lying about what I said. There's something about her…I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"You're so hooked on her blood, you can't separate your feelings from your addiction."

"Isabelle and I are no different from you and Alec. And I thought you of all people would understand."

"If you truly believe that…see if you still feel the same when you're not getting high."

* * *

"There you are, Jace!" Shu called. "You…found Madzie."

"Clary!" Jace called.

"Jace!" Simon shouted.

He helped Clary off the top of the van and down over to Jace, who had Madzie's hand in his.

"Madzie…" Clary muttered. "Madzie, you're okay."

"Step back, boys," Shu ordered.

Clary kneeled down to Madzie, and the two of them began to glow with a red aura swirling around them, and Clary's hand began to heal.

"I told you, didn't I?" Jace asked Simon. "I couldn't have saved her without you."

"Obviously," Simon said. "Thank you for…you know. Everything."

Jace nodded.

Madzie then held her hand out and a portal appeared.

"Madzie, what are you doing?" Clary asked.

"Clary!"

Shu ran up and grabbed her before Madzie waved her hand and the portal engulfed them.

* * *

Clary and Shu woke to an amusement part around them, filled with the usual cages with Downworlders inside.

Madzie was standing above them, and Shu tugged at her foot to find an enchanted shackle and chain holding her and Clary each by the ankle.

"Just great," She muttered.

Valentine walked over and kneeled next to the young Warlock.

"Well done, Madzie. Your nana is gonna be  _so_  proud of you. But you still have a lot more to do before you can see her, okay? So run along."

Madzie nodded and skipped away.

"Hello again, Clarissa."

Clary took the opportunity to stand, as only her foot was chained to the ground.

"You must still hate me for what happened to your mother. I don't blame you. Joselyn's death will always be my greatest regret."

"If you have any shred of humanity left, you would stop this," Clary said.

"My humanity is what keeps me going. The angels designed the sword to rid the world of demons. I'm just ensuring it fulfills its true purpose."

* * *

" ** _Magnus? Magnus, can you hear me? Magnus!_** "

Shu kicked her foot out against the chain, causing it to pulse with energy, but it held firm.

"I can't feel him. What the hell?!"

She kicked her foot out again, but all she was doing was causing the metal to dig into her skin.

"Dammit…"

She dug through her pockets, but she'd been disarmed, and she couldn't summon any weapons with her magic disabled.

She sighed.

"Might wanna plug your ears, darling," Shu warned.

"What? What are you gonna do?" Clary asked.

"I've been captured many times before, and I can tell you that I've gotten desperate on more than one occasion."

She kneeled down to her chain and then held her wrist to the metal. Then, her ulna began to sear with a white glow and the smell of burning skin and muscle filled the air. She screamed from the pain, but managed to draw a rune on the chain and kick her foot so that the chain snapped. She panted as she let her wrist's glow die away, and moved her other hand to her injured wrist to heal it, her magic returning.

"You…have a stele in your wrist," Clary realized.

"Long story, girl. I'll get your chain in a minute. It's magic-proof too, but my runes are plenty strong enough to break it, so just hang tight."

"No. No, you can't just-"

"Clary, I'm not gonna argue with you over a little pain for me in exchange for getting you out of here and saving the rest of the Downworld. Now shut up and let me work my magic."

She moved to the chain holding Clary's ankle while Clary looked to the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Jace!"

"Clary!"

He surged forward while Shu's wrist glowed again and she bit her lip from the searing pain.

"Where's Valentine?" Jace asked.

"I don't know. All the Circle members just left in a hurry."

The chain snapped, and Shu stood, healing her wrist once more. "You're welcome, Fairchild. I'm trying to send a SOS to Magnus, but my magic's still recovering."

"Thanks. Now we have to get out of here before Val-"

"Going someplace?" Said person asked.

Jace surged forward to attack, but Madzie waved her hand and Jace was frozen in place.

"I didn't think so. She's strong for her age, isn't she?"

"Madzie," Clary said, moving forward to kneel. "Hey, please…please, let Jace go."

"Now why would she do that, hm?"

"Because you wanna hurt people. People like Iris."

Madzie hesitated for a moment.

"Don't forget. This is the mean person who got your nana in trouble in the first place," Valentine said, kneeling down to her. "Now, if you wanna see Iris, you have to be a good little girl and do exactly what I say, okay?"

"You're the one who sent Iris to get into trouble," Shu snapped. "You threatened to make sure Madzie never saw her nana again, and so Iris went and did what you told her, went and got herself in trouble because she cared for Madzie. Now you're blackmailing that girl for a problem you caused and saying it's all out of generosity."

She waved her left hand and Jace suddenly moved again.

Then, Simon suddenly ran up from behind and punched Valentine. "Clary run!"

He was a Vampire, but he still didn't have the hang of his powers, nor much fighting skill in general, so Valentine quickly overpowered him and held him in a chokehold.

"Brave and stupid. Sweetheart, save your magic for what's to come. It's time to go."

Madzie held her hand out and a portal appeared behind them.

"I'll see you soon, Clarissa."

"Madzie, stop!" Shu shouted.

"Simon!" Clary called. "Simon, no!"

But they backed through the portal and they were gone.


	19. Valentine's Plan in Motion

"Clary, if you activate that sword, Simon is doomed anyway," Shu shouted. "Along with the rest of the Downworld."

"No, Valentine needs an energy source. He needs lightning."

"Oh, so you think he hasn't thought of that already? Please, by all means. Tell me why the man that has literally outsmarted all of the Shadowhunters, the Clave, the Downworlders, didn't think of this crucial thing in his ultimate plan! Every Institute is powered by an angelic power core. He has the energy source he needs."

"Alec's not picking up," Jace reported. "Let's move."

"Valentine is gonna wish he never laid a hand on Simon," Clary agreed. "I'll make sure of it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Luke said, holding her back. "You're not going anywhere near that Institute."

"We'll take you back to Magnus," Shu agreed. "He can protect you."

"I don't need to be protected, I need to save Simon."

"The Downworld knows that you're the key to activating the sword. They want you dead."

"I can save Simon," Jace promised.

"Doesn't work that way," Clary protested. "If I'm not the one who shows up, Valentine is gonna kill him."

"And so you think that if you  _do_  show up he hasn't prepared for anything you try?" Shu asked. "If you are responsible for the entire Downworld's demise, Clary Fairchild, I will slaughter you and haunt your soul for all eternity in  _hell!_  You're going to go to that place all for Simon, and while I care about him, I care more about the millions of people you are risking for your own selfish desires. You are lucky that I'm not killing you right now to make sure that Soul Sword is  _never_  activated."

"Wait!"

"Dorothy?"

They hurried over to one of the cages that held a pale and near-dead Dot within.

"There's another way to destroy the sword."

* * *

"There you go. You'll start feeling better in no time."

"Thank you."

"Dot, tell us everything you know," Clary said.

"I heard Valentine briefing his men. If Jace touches the sword, his grip will destroy it."

"Me?"

"Why should we believe a word she says?" Luke demanded. "It's probably just another trap."

"Luke, Clary, Shu you know me," Dot protested.

"You've lied to me before," Clary argued.

"Because of the injections. But now that he has the Warlock girl, he's cast me aside. I'm myself again."

"Good story, but I've heard better," Luke scoffed.

"Even if what she believes she heard is real, Valentine couldn't just let her hear it on purpose," Shu pointed out.

"Wait," Jace said. "In the vision from Ithuriel, the demon that destroyed the sword had a clawed hand."

"Exactly, it has nothing to do with you," Clary said.

"Angels are higher beings," Shu said. "They communicate through metaphors. Morgenstern means 'Morning Star,' as in, 'How are thou fallen from heaven. O Lucifer, son of the morning.'"

"Shu has showed me the vision," Magnus continued. "If I'm following the same thought pattern, it seems to be speaking of a…demonic Morgenstern."

"Me," Jace concluded. "That's why Valentine wanted me under his control. I can derail his plan. I can destroy the Soul Sword."

"And destroy yourself in the process," Shu added.

"No," Clary declared. "T-That's a suicide mission. No way."

"Oh, says the girl who's willing to die for the Downworld, what? Yesterday?"

"She's right, Jace," Luke said. "It's too dangerous."

"Oh, and so Clary striding in there to try and save Simon even though she's the key to  _activating_  the darn thing and wiping out all Downworlders is  _so_  much safer of an option," Shu muttered.

"Look, I'm not gonna touch the sword. I'll just get to it before it's activated and bring the Mortal Instrument back to the Clave where it belongs. Trust me."

"Hasn't he touched the sword before?" Shu asked. "Back during the prison break where Valentine got the sword in the first place?"

"It would still have to be activated by the power core," Magnus pointed out.

"Fine, Jace. You boys be careful. I'll try and join you once I've recovered my magic. It shouldn't take too much longer, but I can't go with you now. Good luck."

* * *

"I couldn't feel the soul bond," Shu admitted. "One stupid chain, and I lost a piece of my soul. You don't realize how much you need something until it's gone."

"It's terrifying for both of us," Magnus agreed. "It's easy to forget how much the soul bond connects us, how much of us it's supporting, until it's gone. I was terrified for you."

"I had to use my wrist to escape."

He let out a small chuckle. "Always the fun one."

"But I couldn't stop Valentine from taking Simon, from manipulating that little girl."

"I'm not used to feeling so…powerless."

"You and me both."

"Obviously. How's your magic coming along?"

"Near half strength already."

Clary walked onto the balcony, confirming that she hadn't tried to run away yet, before her phone rang. It was Simon's phone, and she answered it to find Simon and Valentine.

"Oh my god. Simon, are you okay?"

"Simon's fine," Valentine said. "We've just been having a nice talk. You know, he told me your greatest wish was to get to know your old man. Which is funny because it's always been my wish to get to know my daughter. And so I'm here, and I'm waiting for you. And frankly, well…Clarissa, I'm losing my patients."

He stood and held Simon's head back before slicing his neck.

Clary screamed and held her hand over her mouth, nearly dropping the phone in surprise, while Magnus and Shu flinched back in disgust and horror. Magnus looked down and away, while Shu glared at the screen.

Valentine moved around Simon and to the camera. "The vampire has a half-hour, maybe 40 minutes, before he turns to dust. Come quick, Clarissa. He needs blood to survive."

With that, he clicked off the video call.

"Portal me to the Institute," Clary demanded.

"Clary, we can't."

"Now!"

* * *

They jumped through the portal to the outside of the Institute.

"Well, here we are," Shu spat.

"Shu, Magnus…I want you both to know I'm not going anywhere near that sword."

"I'll believe it when I see it, darling. You can't predict the future, and you are walking right into Valentine's hands willingly, knowing the risks. If things go south, I'll be able to eternally say I told you so in hell."

"I don't care much what happens to me, Clary," Magnus said.

"Alec's gonna be okay. Simon's gonna be okay," Clary assured them. "We can do this. You two and me."

"Your confidence is overwhelming," Shu muttered.

Suddenly, two Vampires restrained Magnus and Shu each.

"Let go of my hands!" Magnus demanded.

"So you can use your magic against us?" Raphael asked, appearing in front of Clary. "I'm sorry, Magnus. None of us wanted it to come to this."

"No, I'm here to save Simon," Clary said. "I'm not going to touch the sword."

"No, you're not," Raphael agreed, grabbing her arms.

"Stop this!" Magnus shouted. "Stop it now!"

"If I don't do it, more Downworlders are on their way to do it for me. You're too close to her, Magnus."

"Raphael, you don't have to do this," Clary begged.

"Quick and painless."

He hissed with his fangs out and moved to bite her neck. Then, Jace showed up and pulled Raphael back, putting his seraph blade to his chest.

"This ends now."

Luke pulled the Vampires restraining Magnus away, and Shu shoved hers away in one hit each, elbowing them both in the face without turning around.

"Listen up!" Luke shouted.

"You better be right about this, Luke," Maia warned.

"Clary may be able to activate the sword, but I can destroy it," Jace announced. "The angel Ithuriel confirmed that in a vision."

"Angel?" Raphael asked. "Impossible."

"I saw it too," Clary said. "He's telling the truth."

"You kill Clary, Valentine still has the damn sword," Luke pointed out. "Over time, no doubt, he'll find a way to activate it. Now is our chance to destroy that sword for good. Why not let Jace try?"

"Why would a Shadowhunter risk his life for us?" Maia asked.

"Because you and Raphael are gonna tell your Downworld buddies not to lay a hand on Clary," Jace said. "That's the deal."

"And they'll listen to me?" Raphael asked.

"Maybe. You're the leader of the most powerful Vampire clan in all of New York. They respect you."

Raphael hesitated and looked over to Maia. She nodded weakly, and he did so as well.

"What exactly is your plan?"

"Let me guess, charge in, guns blazing?" Shu asked. "Sounds like a fun plan to me."

* * *

"Aw, only he gets to go in guns blazing? This is a  _brilliant_  plan."

"Obviously. Seelies are here."

"And Luke's pack. How long you think until he finds out?"

"A few minutes at most. He'll take Jace, disguised as Clary, up to see Simon, and it won't be long before the disguise fades away."

"Let's move it."

* * *

"On the video call, Simon was in Aldertree's office. This way."

"Careful, Clary," Shu warned. "Circle members could be anywhere."

Clary looked around a corner. "It's Madzie."

The little girl took notice of them before walking down the hall.

"Go get her. I'll find Simon."

"Are you sure?" Magnus asked.

"She's being used, Magnus. None of this is her fault, but she needs to be stopped."

"I'm not leaving Magnus's side," Shu said. "After our soul bond is tampered with and weakened, we don't like going more than ten feet apart. It's a thing. You think you get used to it, but there's no way to get used to having your soul ripped apart, a piece of you missing for even a second."

"Go. I'll be fine on my own. A one man unit is stealthier than two."

"A one Shadowhunter is  _more vulnerable_  than a Shadowhunter and a Warlock, but we'll meet you in Aldertree's office as soon as we can."

"Okay."

She turned down the corridor, while Magnus and Shu followed after the path Madzie took.

"Careful," Shu muttered. "This, in it of itself, could be a trap. She's a tough cookie for her age, and her youth makes her hard to oppose."

They turned a corner and found Madzie standing over a dead corpse. Slowly, they stepped forward.

"Hello, sweet pea," Magnus called.

She turned in surprise, and the two of them stopped.

"I'm Magnus. This is Shu."

The girl pulled off the scarf around her neck and the gills on her neck began to suck in the air. The two Warlocks were unaffected though, and slowly continued forward.

"I know your scared," Shu said slowly. "You don't have to be."

Magnus let his eyes show as he knelt down in front of her, and Shu's eyes flared to life as well, her brand flashing to life above the back of her hand.

"See? We're just like you, Madzie. We're Warlocks too."

Madzie's magic began to die down, and the three of them relaxed their Warlock marks once more.

Magnus eyed the man on the floor. "These men are using you for your abilities."

"He said nana was here," Madzie said.

"He lied, honey," Shu said gently. "We wanna help you, Madzie."

"For real," Magnus promised.

She gave them a long examination, before stepping forward, and allowing Magnus to put his hand on her back gently.

* * *

There was a large pulse that Shu felt in her chest.

"It's active," Shu muttered.

"What?" Magnus asked.

"Get down!"

She tackled both him and Madzie to the floor, throwing a barrier up with all the angelic protection she had in her. Considering she'd lived as a Downworlder for the past few centuries, her angelic genes were a bit rusty, but she managed as angelic energy from the activated Soul Sword came flooding down the corridors.

* * *

"Madzie's safe and sound with Catarina," Shu said. "Meanwhile, I think someone's looking for you."

She nodded forward towards Alec, who was looking around desperately at people heading into the Institute.

Magnus hurried over and grabbed his arm, and was instantly pulled into a tight hug.

"Magnus, I thought…"

"We found Madzie. Shu managed to block us from the Soul Sword attack and we took Madzie to Catarina's. She's safe."

He nodded, breathing hard. "Look…Magnus, on every mission I've ever been on, I've never felt that type of fear. Ever. Not knowing if you were alive or dead, I…I was terrified."

Magnus sighed and put his hand on Alec's arm. "So was I."

"Magnus…I love you."

Magnus smiled. "I love you, too."

Alec kissed him, still breathing hard, before he wrapped his arms around Magnus again.


	20. Azazel

"A Greater Demon had a massacre at a bar," Alec said. "The only Greater Demon that we know is up and active is your friend, the memory demon."

"You think Charon is one to go around in a slaughter for no good reason?" Shu asked.

"I'm not saying that. But the Institute feels you're the closest thing we've got to a lead. If you can contact him and maybe ask him if he has any idea who this could be, we'd appreciate it. Any help he could give on the case, really."

She smiled and shook her head in disbelief. "You are  _so_  lucky. If it were anybody but me, Charon might demand an important memory of mine in exchange, and personally, I don't find my like for you  _that_  great. But I'll try. And you should know, if we're talking about a Greater Demon, there will  _always_  be a motive if they're willing to come out into the open like this. If a Greater Demon escapes to this world, they're going to try and keep their presence on the down low and keep their killings or deals a secret. Unless they're trying to draw you Shadowhunters out."

"We'll keep that in mind."

"Hey!"

Magnus came walking into the room with a smile. "When did you get here? You must be reading my mind. I was just about to call you."

Alec gave him a quick peck. "There's a Greater Demon on the lose and we need your help. It's been leaving this on its victims."

He passed over a bag of small grains. "Oh dear," Magnus muttered. "This sand, it's from Duduael."

"Which is a…dimension of Hell?" Alec clarified.

"The worst dimension," Shu agreed. "Did you find this on their face?"

Alec nodded.

"How did he get loose…?" Magnus muttered. "He's been shackled for centuries."

"Who, Magnus?"

"The demon who taught man the weapons of war," Shu said. "A Greater Demon. Azazel. One of the Princes of Hell. He and I  _don't_  get along too well."

"Right. A real prince."

He patted Magnus on the arm and walked past to the curtains darkening the room. "Why's it so dark in here?"

Magnus turned, but didn't say anything. He didn't really have to, when Raphael zoomed in behind the two Warlocks and Alec turned back to see the Vampire.

"Hello, Alec."

"What is he doing here?"

"Raphael has something important to tell you," Magnus explained.

"Nothing he says matters to me."

Magnus swallowed and Shu looked down.

"Your sister's in trouble," Raphael said.

"Your damn right she is. She's suffering withdrawal back at the Institute because of you!"

"Alexander,  _listen,_ " Shu snapped.

"She just came by the DuMort begging for a bite," Raphael continued.

Alec then started listening. "What?"

"I didn't touch her. You have my word. But there are plenty of Vampires more than eager to take a bite."

He moved to the door. "I never should've left her alone."

Magnus caught his arm. "It's not your fault. Don't worry. We'll find her."

"Here's the address to the closest den," Raphael offered, handing over a piece of paper. "There's a good chance she's there."

Alec stared at the offered slip of paper before snatching it begrudgingly and turning to the door once more. "Let's go."

Magnus shuffled awkwardly and nodded farewell to Raphael before following.

* * *

When they arrived at the address, they found a group of mundanes, killed in the same way that the people at the bar had suffered.

"Azazel did this," Shu confirmed.

Magnus looked around before picking up a necklace from the ground. It was the same necklace that he'd given her before, able to sense when demons were approaching, but the gem in the center was shattered from the force of Azazel's aura.

"Izzy's necklace," He muttered.

Alec snatched it. "It's broken. Where is she?"

"I'm going to contact Charon about this," Shu said. "We'll find her, Alec."

* * *

"Azazel's not one to take prisoners," Charon said. "He doesn't play like that. Most likely, he interrogated her about the Mortal Cup and then killed her, but I wouldn't be too sure about anything with that man. It might not be a coincidence that he targeted Isabelle. Since the cup is still out there and dangerous to us, all of us are still looking for it. Along with the sword, but considering the recent massacre of Downworlders, no one's eager to get their hands on it now that it's been activated. The cup is our priority now."

"We didn't find a body though. And shouldn't he just be going for Valentine if that's the case?"

"Many of us have considered it, sure. But no one wants to break into the Clave to try and get the man wanting to kill us all. It wouldn't be a hard task, but it has it's risks, and if there's an easier way, he'll look for that first. Azazel will try and get the information out of more Shadowhunters for a little longer until he finds a way to get to Valentine with less effort than slaughtering numerous Shadowhunters and risking them using the Soul Sword now that it's active."

"What about you? You're going after the cup too?"

"I wanted your Shadowhunters to destroy it, but obviously they weren't going to listen to me. They said they'd be able to protect it, and yet here we are. I'm less interested in finding and using the cup than the others of my kind. Azazel, however, is eager to get his hands on it. I'm a Greater Demon, but even I don't compare to one of the Princes of Hell."

"Can you help us track him?"

"I am  _not_  gonna try and get on that guy's bad side."

"Coward."

"Don't play that card. We both know Azazel to some extent, and we should both know that Asmodeus and Azazel are both formidable people. Dancing with Azazel is something only the Princes of Hell should be doing, and I will not be so bold as to step out of my place."

"That's right. You demons like your hierarchy, don't you?"

"It's a way to keep order within chaos. We rely on our hierarchy, and no matter what position we're in, we like it. I would feel disgusted if I were to be treated lower than my position, and just as disgusted if I were to be treated higher than my position. In the demon world, things make sense. Everything has a place, a role to fulfill. You are either above someone or below someone, and I am below the Princes of Hell and I like it that way."

"And what about me?"

"You?"

"Where am I?"

"You were born to be as great or greater than the Princes of Hell, possibly an equal to the big man himself. The big man of Hell,  _and_  the big man of heaven alike. Back when you were the Demon Queen, all of the demons, even the Princes, showed their respect to you, hoped that you would only get stronger, and destroy all Shadowhunters, angels, and otherwise that threatened the demons. Now that you've given up that role and have been living here, docile and weakened, your place in the hierarchy might be slipping. Be careful if you wanna try and play that card to Azazel."

"I will."

* * *

"I really don't like this," Shu muttered, finishing the drawing of the pentagram.

"Is the courtyard glamoured?" Alec asked.

"No one can see us," Magnus confirmed.

He sighed. "I don't know. It still seems like a risk."

"We have no choice. This is the only space big enough."

"Security cameras in the cell are down," Jace reported. "We've got a half hour until the Inquisitor's done with her meeting."

Alec, Magnus, Shu and Jace took their positions on the pentagram, Valentine being the final person, who they had restrained in position at his corner as well.

Alec sighed. "Is Clary ready?"

"Clary?" Shu asked.

Jace nodded, ignoring her. "Let's do this."

"Be careful," Shu warned. "I know Azazel, and he is  _not_  someone to take lightly. Be firm in your speech, and do  _not_  presume you are above nor below him, or he will take offense. And that is something that will lead to trouble."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

"I call upon the power of the pentagram," Magnus declared, waving his hand in the direction of one of the lines in said shape on the floor.

That line began to blaze with red fire, and Shu waved her hand to continue the activation of another line. "Azazel, I summon thee."

Magic flashed as the next line lit up by Magnus began to build power.

"From within our realm, into this mystical confinement," Magnus continued. "I summon thee."

Shu waved the next line into activation, leaving only one left. "You seek the Mortal Cup, we seek the return of our friend."

"For this exchange, I summon thee."

Magnus finished off the final line, and then the two Warlocks kneeled as the circle around the pentagram was set ablaze as well. They then stood once more, pulling the magic upwards, and in a flash, a man in a suit worthy of Raphael appeared in the center of the glowing symbol.

He looked around, turning to Magnus. "Well, if it isn't Magnus Bane. Brave move."

He stepped forward, but Shu held her hands out and pushed them forward to contain Azazel. "No, Zell," She said. "You are  _not_  touching him. This is between you and me."

"Well, if it isn't little Shu. I haven't seen you in ages, dear girl. But you don't look like half the woman you were last I heard."

"Return Isabelle Lightwood and we'll hand over Valentine. He can lead you to the Mortal Cup."

The Greater Demon saw the restrained man and turned. "Valentine Morgenstern. The man who dares to dream big. It is a tempting offer, but I don't have your friend Isabelle."

"He's lying," Alec declared.

"I'm not so sure…" Jace muttered.

"I may be bad, but I'm not lying. Even I wouldn't dare try and deceive my queen. Isn't that right,  _'your Highness?_ '"

Shu's eyes darkened slightly, but she kept her face straight. "He isn't lying."

The barrier around Azazel began to weaken, and Magnus gathered energy to blast him before the two Warlocks began increasing their power into the spell.

"We can still find Isabelle, but we can't let Azazel get away," Jace declared. "Clary, now!"

Clary stomped into the room, drawing a rune onto her hand with her stele, and then thrust her hand out, but nothing happened. She looked to her hand in surprise and tried drawing the rune again.

"It's…it's not working!"

"What are you talking about?" Jace asked.

"Nothing's happening!"

"You idiots!" Shu shouted. " _That_  was your brilliant plan?!

Azazel turned to her, his true form beginning to flicker. "You thought you could contain me?!"

He put his hands together and built up energy, before flinging them out, dissolving the magic in the pentagram and sending everyone flying back, Shu managing to keep on her feet but still sliding across the concrete.

Azazel then flicked his wrists, his eyes darkening to black, before the Shadowhunters (and Magnus) began screaming in pain.

"Magnus! Stop him!" Alec shouted.

But Magnus was in just as much pain, and Shu held her head as she felt Magnus's pain surging through their soul bond.

Azazel walked over to Magnus and kneeled down to him. "Stupid Warlock."

He sent a pulse through Magnus, before standing and rubbing his hands together as he moved over to Valentine. "Now, a present for you, my dear Valentine."

"Azazel!" Shu shouted, drawing her sword.

But Azazel took Valentine's temples, and she began screaming along with everyone else, her sword clattering to the ground and disappearing.

"Jace!" Clary shouted.

He looked to her, before rolling up his sleeve as one of his runes activated, and he was able to stand. He jumped over to Azazel, drawing his seraph blade and moving to strike. Azazel saw, however, and scattered into a swarm of insects that flew off.

Everyone began to catch their breaths, but Shu ended up falling forward to the ground. "Magnus…"

"How did you do that?" Alec asked Jace.

He looked to the rune he'd activated and shook his head. "I have no idea. Doesn't matter. He got away."

* * *

"Hey, are you okay?" Alec asked as he helped Magnus stand. "Are you all right?"

Magnus looked around in shock. "I…I think so."

The crew of Shadowhunters, and Magnus, dusted themselves off and walked out, while two other Shadowhunters ran in and hefted Valentine to his feet.

"No…" Shu muttered, trying to get to her feet. "No, wait…"

She stumbled, and a cloud of dark smoke appeared beside her before Charon caught her from falling. "Whoa, Namir, stay with me. I got you."

"Help me!" Valentine shouted, his voice muffled behind the mask on his face. "Help me!"

Shu reached out for him. "No, let him go…help me…let him…"

But Charon pulled her back and pulled her up into his arms bridal-style. "I got you."

He teleported off, taking the memories of the Shadowhunters of him ever being there, and leaving Valentine screaming after them. "Wait! No!"

* * *

Charon reappeared in the palace of Asmodeus in the capital of Edom, Idumea.

He gently laid Shu on the bed of his quarters as she began to lose consciousness. "Magnus…Magnus…help me…I am not…I'm coming…help me…"

With a plum of dark black smoke, another man appeared, and Charon stood at attention. "What has occurred, Valak?" He demanded.

"This was the work of Azazel, my Lord. He sabotaged your son whom you had her bonded to and now she's in a weakened state from the disturbance of the bond."

"Is this true, Azazel?"

In another cloud of smoke, Azazel appeared, dusting off his jacket casually. "Why yes, Asmodeus. It would seem the Warlock I tampered with  _was_  the one little Shu was bonded to. Do you care?"

"She is not to be harmed by even someone such as you!" Charon shouted. "What if you had broken the bond and let the energy from it go to waste after all these years of finding a suitable Downworlder to bond her to and building it for the past few centuries?! You must be a fool to have risked the project for which we have conglomerated all of our efforts for the past eons! Why I-!"

"Valak, enough!" Asmodeus snapped. "Know your place. Azazel may be worthy of accusation, however, you must remember with whom you are addressing. Azazel is above your class, and you should be well aware."

Charon stiffened and clamped his mouth shut, averting his gaze. "Yes, my Lord."

"Now, Azazel, have you indeed broken or harmed the soul bond between the subject and my son in any way?"

"I tampered with it when I switched Magnus Bane and Valentine Morgenstern, sure," He said casually, crossing his arms. "However, just because I moved the bond to an unfamiliar location doesn't mean it's damaged in any way. It's in a weakened state, but it's by no means in danger. The switch will be reversed soon enough, if Morgenstern agrees to my deal, and everything will be put in order. Until then, there's no risk to the soul bond being broken by any means."

"She is weakened to near comatose!" Charon shouted. "If any harm should come to her, you silver tongued-!"

"Valak!"

Asmodeus waved his hand out and Charon tensed in pain. The Prince of Hell slammed his hand downwards and Charon was suddenly forced downwards into a kneel, shaking under the force restraining him.

"You should keep your subordinates in check, Asmodeus," Azazel taunted.

"He's merely concerned for the subject's safety. She has been growing soft these past centuries with my son. Perhaps this ordeal shall serve useful as a way to remind her of her task. Valak, you are to return any memories to her that she has forgotten or you have taken, and you shall unlock ones she has chosen to bury deep within the waves of time. Remind her what her real purpose is and begin the next phase to integrate her back within the demon world. Thanks to her soul bond with my son, she has been dragged back into the Downworld, however, it is time to push her further once more. Are we clear?"

Charon looked up, still grunting under the strain, but he nodded.

With that, Asmodeus relaxed his hand and Charon let out a small gasp as he was freed from his confinement. He took deep breaths, standing cautiously and keeping his head down.

"My Lord, shall I commence the memory reviving now, while she is in her weakened state?"

"You can start small while Azazel plays his little game. As soon as she is back on her feet once more, that is when the real trials can begin. To avoid harm coming to her while she is in this state, you may keep her here until my son is stabilized in his own body and the soul bond is as full strength."

Charon bowed, glaring to the carpet below. "Yes, sir."

"Azazel, go and do as you wish, but don't drag this out for longer than you must. We do not know if prolonged interference might indeed do permanent damage if dragged out too long."

Azazel merely smiled. "Sure thing, Asmodeus. We wouldn't want any harm to come to our little Shu, would we?"

With that, his dark cloud of magic consumed him as he disappeared, his smirk still on his face.

"Do not embarrass me anymore, Valak," Asmodeus warned firmly. "If such behavior should continue, I shall have you banished and never to work with the subject again."

He disappeared as well, and Charon let out a sigh, dropping next to Shu on his bed in exhaustion. The memory restoration could wait until later. For now, Shu deserved rest, and Charon needed a break.

He'd have to go to Magnus Bane's apartment and impersonate Shu to give an excuse as to why she's gone to the Lightwood boy, hopefully avoiding Azazel as he talks to Valentine (disguised as Magnus).

Then he'd get to torture Shu with memories he'd wished to keep from her and memories she herself would crack under.

Yea for him.

* * *

"I'm fine," Magnus assured Alec, walking a bit drunken down the halls of the Institute. "Just a little…tired. Nothing a…good night's sleep won't fix."

"I can come back home with you if you'd like-"

"No! No…it's okay. I'll…call you tomorrow."

Alec gave a small smile and nod, while Magnus returned it and walked away while Alec was distracted by his phone ringing.

* * *

Magnus walked home a bit dazed, looking to his hands. "Disgusting Warlock."


	21. When Two Souls Are Switched

_Charon found the experiment as she had escaped the facility in Edom where Asmodeus had been keeping her._ _She was lying on the ground, weakened from her first transformation into the first and only angelic demon._

_After years of trying to awaken what they knew was inside her, finally, they'd figured out what had been missing. She just needed to be exposed to some pure angelic energy and she would be complete. Thankfully, Raziel had created beings in retaliation when the demons had 'accidentally' let information on her creation slip, and sent the first Shadowhunters to try and kill her._

_But all they had done was complete her._

_Now, all that was left to do was let her age, gain knowledge of all the worlds, the angels, the demons, the mundane world, Downworld. Grow her power and wisdom over the years, and build her up into the most powerful being in existence._

_But she had to be watched over during that process, kept in line towards the demon side. She had the_ _potential to be just as much of a_ threat _to the demons as a savior. That was where Valak Mataecharonsan came into the picture._

_She was awake, however, she couldn't move. Her limbs were lead, her breaths weak and jagged. She just wanted to rest, wanted it all to end._

_"Hey, are you okay?"_

_She didn't even have the strength to move her eyes, nor the energy to care who was speaking to her. Unfortunately, the guy wasn't going to leave her alone, and he kneeled down to look to her face._

_"Come on, I'll get you some help."_

_He hefted her up into his arms, taking her to a small house he lived in (by the orders of his master, to make him seem less intimidating) and set her on the bed._

_Quickly, he began to process of healing her._

* * *

_"Who are you?" She finally asked._

_She had been quiet for weeks. To her, it felt as though talking would somehow make this real, force her to take this in as reality. She just wanted rest, to never get involved with anything ever again, but seeing this man rushing around to help her, not forcing her to speak, only asking that she eat and drink, though not forcing her into that either, she felt tempted to reach out once more._

_There was something in her that trusted him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The wish for peace, to be left alone, was great, however the temptation eventually grew stronger as she began to recover, was able to stay awake for longer, and observe the world around her more carefully._

_The man looked slightly surprised by hearing her voice, understandably, but he turned to her eagerly. "Me? Oh, my name's Valak. Valak Mataecharonsan."_

_"Mat_ _…matae…what?"_

_Her voice was still weak, having not been used properly in ages, but the soup that he'd given her seemed to be helping tremendously. Her throat had never felt so nice, so soft and smooth._

_He let out a chuckle. "Mataecharonsan. Matae. Charon. San."_

_"I'll call you Charon then."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Valak sounds too evil. Matae is too many syllables and is hard to say. San sounds like 'Son,' and you're not my son. Charon sounds nice."_

_He blinked. "Uh, sure. Okay. Charon. And do you know your name?"_

_She looked down in thought. "Shu, I think. Asu_ _…shu…um…oh! Namir. Asushunamir."_

_"Last name?"_

_"Last name?"_

_"Yeah. I guess that means you don't have one, but for demons, we're born with our first names, but we can choose our surnames. It kinda feels like a personal thing for me. We don't get to chose our first names, but we can still make ourselves last names if we want, have some control over who we are identified as. My last name is Mataecharonsan."_

_"Where'd you come up with that?"_

_He shrugged. "I thought it was cool, so I decided to use it. A lot of Greater Demons don't care for last names, but I figured, why not?"_

_"I think it's cool."_

_"Thanks. What about you? Got a last name in mind?"_

_She looked to the ceiling and hummed in thought. "Hmm. Kandai. Yeah, I like that."_

_"Kandai? Where'd you get that?"_

_"I think it's an important name of someone I knew. It's been a while, but I remember that name's important. I_ know _it."_

_"Well, nice to meet you, Asushunamir Kandai. I'm Valak Mataecharonsan, and I hope to get to know you better."_

_She hesitated for a moment, however, there was a gut feeling that made her muscles relax, made her trust this man with her life. She couldn't describe it, nor was she able to find it in her to care._

_"Nice to meet you too, I suppose. And_ _…I look forward to it."_

* * *

"Please…please…guards…somebody…I am not Valentine…I am Magnus Bane…Valentine has escaped…please…somebody…"

"Shh, Shu," Charon muttered. "I'll go and handle Valentine and Magnus. After all, we can't have Magnus getting hurt while he's trapped in Valentine's body, or we risk breaking the soul bond. Since Valentine's body isn't adapted to magic, the bond is more vulnerable while Magnus is in his body. I've convinced Asmodeus to let me go and look after him while I let your memories be given to you through the gem I gave. Just promise not to hate me when you wake up, okay?"

"…Somebody…"

"I guess I'll have to leave it at that. Just hold on."

* * *

Charon adjusted his jacket in the mirror as he tested out his disguise as Shu. He had access to her memories, and so he was able to mimic her behavior and personality, as well as use her memories of events and actions, so this should be easy.

He - well, she now - walked out of her room, adjusting to the wedges he - she (AAHH, this was gonna be a pain, wasn't it?) had gotten from her closet. She totally knew how to walk in them, it wasn't as if she hadn't been disguised as a female before in her life and she was using Shu's knowledge as well, but it wasn't like he was a woman  _all_  the time.

Besides, it seemed as though Shu didn't wear these shoes often and had little experience. But Charon thought he/she looked good in the outfit he had chosen for her, so might as well rock it while she could.

She passed Magnus (Valentine) on the way out, who was shuffling around in a very un-Magnus-like way.

Hm, might as well have fun with this, Charon figured.

"Hey, Magnus!"

Magnus - or, as we shall refer to him, Not-Magnus - jumped at the sight of her coming out of her room. "…Hi…"

"What's up? You look startled. Considering we live together, I'd think you're used to my charms by now."

She went up and gave him a hug, and, just for kicks, kissed him on the cheek. "I'm heading out today to help with the Azazel hunt, but I'll see you later, hon."

" ** _She must be his girlfriend,_** " Valentine figured.

"Right," He said aloud. "I'll see you later…hon."

She smiled and ruffled his hair before walking out.

She then teleported to the Institute and took on Shu's Shadowhunter outfit (the runes obviously only a glamour this time) and headed in. Thankfully, Charon thought to bring Shu's necklace, her ring with the runes, which contained angelic power safe to use with demons, as she was part demon as well, and so he was able to slip past the wards undetected.

"Azazel's attacks go as far south as the meat-packing district," Alec was saying over a hologram of the city. "And then the trail goes cold."

"It's no use just tracking dead bodies," Jace pointed out. "With his ability to dematerialize, he could be anywhere."

"I think I might be able to help," Shu (Charon/Not-Shu) called.

"And us!" Izzy shouted, surging past the disguised demon with some other guy behind her.

"Izzy!" Clary called, giving her a quick and tight embrace. "We've been so worried about you. Where have you been?"

She looked nervously to Alec. "Looking for Azazel."

She smiled and turned to the blonde she'd brought in. "This is Sebastian Verlac, from the London Institute. When the demon came after me, Sebastian saved my life."

"Oh, I simply lent a hand."

"Sebastian's an expert on all things Azazel."

"When I studied abroad at the Paris Institute, I specialized in Greater Demons."

"Thanks for saving my sister," Alec said, offering his hand to shake. "I'm Alec."

"Yeah, thank you. I'm Jace," He agreed, shaking his hand as well.

"The great warrior in the flesh," Sebastian muttered. "Your reputation proceeds you."

Jace shuffled nervously and Sebastian turned to Clary and offered his hand once more. "As does yours. You must be Clary. Valentine's daughter."

She chuckled weakly. "Yeah, don't hold it against me."

"Well, we don't choose our parents."

"That's for sure," Not-Shu muttered.

"So, tell us about Azazel," Jace requested. "How to we take him down?"

"Hey, I am an expert on Greater Demons too!" Not-Shu protested. "The only way to banish him is to puncture his demonic core and send him back to the Void. In corporeal form, the core is located between the T8 and T9 vertebrae."

"But it's not that simple," Sebastian added. "The core is about the size of a pea."

"I was getting to that…"

"Oh, so the entry point's right below his sternum?" Jace confirmed, and the two of them nodded. "If I can get close enough, I can kill him."

"You wouldn't have enough velocity," Not-Shu said. "Trust me, I've banished this guy before."

"And even if you did, the defeat's only temporary," Sebastian added. "The nasty buggers always find a way to break out of their realm and come back."

"But, it's not an easy feat. At the very least, banishing him will be effective for a pretty decent period of time, if I do say so myself. Actually, Alexander, you might be of the most use here. If you're a pretty good archer, your arrow might be able to get the speed and accuracy we need."

"Thank you for the intel, Sebastian," Alec said. "We'll take it from here."

"If I can, I'd like to help," He offered.

"We appreciate that, but you don't have clearance to go on mission. Not at this Institute."

"Alec, you can't be serious," Izzy protested. "It's not like Shu has clearance to go on mission either, so having Sebastian can't be much worse."

"We know her better than we know him. We know we can trust her."

"Sebastian saved my life. I know we can trust him."

"Famous last words," Not-Shu muttered.

Now, Charon recognized the scent he (she) was getting from Sebastian. The Shadowhunter smelled funny, and now the demon realized it was because he was the one who summoned Azazel and made a bargain that released Azazel from Duduael in the first place. He was a Shadowhunter, but there was something off about him. Something demonic. Whatever he was doing here, it couldn't be a good thing, especially if he was infiltrating the Shadowhunters' trust. Maybe Azazel's 'attack' on Izzy and Sebastian's 'valiant rescue,' wasn't an accident.

Shu didn't like the Shadowhunters, but she wasn't exactly against them, either, and so Sebastian was not going to be her friend when she woke up. Charon decided to keep things on the DL, as if Sebastian knew about Greater Demons, he must've known about him. Valak was gone as far as the anyone outside of the Scooby-Doo club of Shadowhunters were concerned, so it was unlikely he'd come up in conversation, but better safe than sorry.

"Hey, Alec, look," Jace whispered. "We could use all the help we can get, and having another expert on Azazel might be useful."

"Now," Sebastian began. "As far as tracking is concerned, we should really think about-"

"We have a  _very_  capable Warlock for that," Alec interrupted.

There was a moment of silence as the others stared at him.

"You do what you want," Alec said. "I'm gonna work with Magnus."

"I'll come too," Not-Shu said. "If Sebastian is… _half_  the expert on Azazel I am, well, they should be fine over here. Besides, I'd rather get out of this Institute while I can."

"You go on ahead, Shu," Clary agreed. "It's probably better you're back home with Magnus than here."

She nodded and followed after Alec, but Izzy stomped after them. "Alec, stop!  _Stop!_  What's your problem?"

"Sebastian Verlac shows up out of the blue and saves you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Alec looked slightly taken back by his sister's disbelief in him and total belief in Sebastian.

"Alec, you did everything you could to help me. And I love you for that. But don't treat Sebastian like the enemy just because he was able to help me."

"And you shouldn't treat him like your best friend just because he bats his eyes, smiles, and does you a favor," Not-Shu said. "I've lived thousands upon thousands of years, Isabelle, and that's one of the oldest tricks in the book. The more useful they are, the more likely the deception. He  _did_  come out of the blue, and you can so far give me no proof of anything that's come out of that mouth. I get that you are looking for support after you just got over a bad period of your life, but that kind of gullibility leads to disaster in this life. You should know that by now."

She walked past and dragged Alec after her.

As they were walking, Not-Shu's phone alarm went off, and she pulled it out. "I gotta go," She sighed.

"Why?"

"I need to go check on things with Charon. He's looking into how Azazel escaped, but considering Azazel is above him in the demon hierarchy, he's walking on dangerous grounds."

"What did you have to trade him to do that for you, if it's so dangerous?"

"Not much. I just gave him the memory of the last time I ate spaghetti."

He chuckled. "That's it?"

"We're old friends. He gives me a discount."

"He's risking his life for you, or at least the wrath of the guys higher up than him. Sounds like he's giving you a discount for more than just being old friends."

"What?  _No~!_  Why would you think  _that?!_  He isn't…why do you say that?"

He laughed. "Just a little intuition. I could always be wrong."

"Well…we uh…kinda  _did_  date back in the day, but…uh…you know. Breakup. Dating a memory demon kinda makes trust hard."

"I hear ya. I'll call Magnus. We can handle things."

"I'll get back to you when I can."

"Take your time. We're fine."

"Right. See ya."

* * *

Charon teleported back to his room where Shu was, and felt her memory transfer coming to an end.

He tapped the gem at her chest that he'd given her, and refilled the memories inside to be transferred.

She continued muttering in her sleep, sometimes her own words and sometimes Magnus's. "Shu…can you…hear me…I'm trapped…Valentine's…stop me…I'm not…"

She settled down, as the memories began taking over again, and Charon headed back out.

* * *

_Charon handed Shu a cup of tea, and she took it with a smile. "Thanks."_

_She had still been shy around Charon ever since they'd met, but her trust in him continued to grow as they spent more time together._

_"I have nowhere to go," Shu admitted. "Once I'm fully_ _healed…I don't really have a plan after that."_

_"You're welcome to stay with me," Charon said. "I can show you around the world."_

_"I don't like Edom. I grew up here. Too many memories. To much pain."_

_Shu had allowed Charon to look through her memories of what she knew, and he hadn't pried until given consent, of course. Over time, he'd unlocked her previous memories of her life that she'd lived so long ago when she was a child, before the demons took her._

_Her mother had been brought to Edom to be nurtured and cared for by the demons, by Asmodeus in particular, but once Shu had been born, her mother was neglected, and Shu got the punishment for it. Not that the demons hadn't planned for that. They had. It was a part of their plan, in fact: to make sure Shu was tough from a young age, from the moment she was born._

_"There is another place," Charon admitted. "One you might be able to access."_

_"Me? Why not you?"_

_"It's a special place, and I'm a demon, so I can't go without special circumstances. But you_ _…well, you're not all demon. I'm sorry to remind you, it's just-"_

_"It's fine. I know you don't mean offense. What is this place you speak of?"_

_"It's not an advanced place, but it's the place where mundanes live, where your mother was initially from. It's away from all the demons. The_ children _of demons do live there, mundanes with demon blood that makes them into a certain species, but overall, it's a lot less demonic than this place."_

_"Where my mother was from_ _…? In a way, doesn't that mean it's where_ I'm _from?"_

_"I guess you could say that."_

_"I'd rather live in the worst hellhole in existence than here. No offense, you've been so kind, but_ … _Can we go for a visit?"_

_"Sure, if you can open a portal to get there."_

_"Can you teach me how?"_

_"I can certainly try. Not to push you, though, but it's gonna take some extensive training, some of which I may not fully understand."_

_"I'll take anything you can give. Just…I want to get away from this place for even just a moment. The smell of demons in the air, the aura, the_ _…"_

_"Hey, I get it. We can start training whenever you want."_

_She set her tea down and stood. "Right now."_

_"Now?"_

_"When else? Do we have to wait until sunset or something? Or for the moon to be at a certain position? Come on! Let's do this thing!"_

_He chuckled. "Okay. We can start with a simple levitation spell, try and give your powers a warm up."_

_"Great! What's lev-it-ate-on?"_

* * *

" _Hey, Alec,_ " Not-Magnus said.

"Hey. Look, I know you had a rough night, but um…I need your help tracking Azazel."

He paused. " _I wish I could help_ _…but I'm busy with a client._ "

"Are you okay? You sound strange."

" _I had a rough night. Look, I need to get back to my client. If you need a Warlock, call Dorothea._ "

With that, he hung up, leaving Alec confused and suspicious as he ended the call.

* * *

Alec knocked on the door. "Magnus, you there?!"

Not-Magnus came to the door and opened it. "Hello."

"What's going on?"

Not-Magnus hesitated before shaking his head. "Nothing. Why?"

"Well, it's just…"

Alec walked into the room past Not-Magnus, surprising Not-Magnus, as he had no idea about the relationship between Alec and Real-Magnus.

"You were acting strange, on the phone just now. Terse."

Not-Magnus closed the door. "I told you, I'm busy."

Alec walked past in disbelief, while Not-Magnus stared at Alec in confusion. "Right. It's just, uh…you've never refused to help me when I need it, and I just…"

He looked over and saw Not-Magnus wasn't paying attention, looking around in concern.

"Magnus. What's wrong?"

Not-Magnus still looked to him in confusion.

"Hey…"

Alec put his hand to Magnus's face comfortingly, freaking Not-Magnus out, as that was once again a sign of intimacy that he had  _no_  knowledge about, especially from a person of the same gender. Now he was not only confused as to who Real-Magnus was dating, but how the hell he was supposed to get  _out_  of this situation.

"Talk to me."

Suddenly, Magnus was throw aside by telekinetic magic, and Alec saw Azazel had appeared. "Did I not tell you to get rid of him?"

Alec summoned his bow and pulled back a nocked arrow.

"Alec, don't!" Magnus shouted.

"I got this," He responded.

"Look out!"

Shu suddenly appeared out of a portal behind Azazel and wrapped her arms under his shoulders and pulled as hard as she could, keeping him in place with her magic so that he couldn't escape with the dissolving technique and causing the spell he had lined up for Alec to go flying into the wall.

"Alec, shoot!"

He took aim for where he'd been told was Azazel's demonic core just before Azazel used his foot to kick out a blast to send the Shadowhunter flying. But Alec kept his aim and release his arrow, hitting Azazel dead in the chest even as he landed on his back a good distance away.

Shu was tossed away and to the floor, but Azazel looked down to the shaft sticking out of his chest, before he began to roar, his form flickering as dark dust and lights began to swirl around him and he dissolved to ashes, even those disappearing a moment later.

Charon appeared out of his cloud of smoke, now back to himself, to run over to the weak Shu (yep, that's the real one) and pulled her into his arms.

"You idiot. Don't run off on me when you're in this state. You had me terrified."

She could say nothing and only pant, relaxing into his arms.

Not-Magnus scrambled over to the ashes Azazel had left on the floor. "No, no, no, no…"

Alec, seemingly unconcerned my Not-Magnus's concern about Azazel's defeat, rushed over to him, sheathing his bow.

"Are you okay?"

Not-Magnus took a few deep breaths. "Fine," He managed.

"Why'd you tell me to stop?"

Not-Magnus shook his head and thought about what to say. "I was afraid something terrible would happen. Something that couldn't be undone."

Alec wrapped him in a hug. "Hey, you're okay."

But Not-Magnus wasn't okay at all. Azazel might have been his only chance to get back to his original body, because despite being in a powerful Warlock's body, free from imprisonment, he was trapped in a filthy Downworlder, the very thing he hated most.

Plus, he didn't have control over his magic, and where was the fun in being trapped in a Warlock when you couldn't do any spells?

"I'm gonna take Shu and get her some medical attention," Charon announced.

"What's wrong with her?" Alec asked.

"She's weak. Azazel's not an easy customer, even for her. No doubt he did something while she was restraining him. I'll take care of her. I promise."

With that, they disappeared into his cloud of magic.

* * *

Charon set down Shu back into her bed, but she was still conscious.

"Chare…Magnus, he's…I can't…help me…where are you…I need to…"

She then tensed up and began to scream, holding her hands over her ears.

"Shu. Shu, stay with me!"

"He's…he's being tortured…! I have to…AHH!"

"Shh, you need rest. I'll handle him. Don't worry. Both you and he are going to be fine."

"But…"

"No. Relax. You're fine. I'll go get Magnus. I'll handle everything. Just sleep."

He put his hand on her forehead, and despite her protests, she began to calm, until she fell asleep once again.

Charon stood and transformed back into his Shu disguise, before remembering something.

"Sire!"

Asmodeus appeared out of his cloud of magic. "Yes?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, Azazel has been vanquished by the Shadowhunter without reversing the switching of your son and Valentine Morgenstern. What are we to do now?"

"You may go down once more and handle the affairs. My son should have a way to reverse Azazel's spell, but until he is able to do so, you must make sure he finds the opportunity and Valentine Morgenstern doesn't go too out of control until then."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

_Shu concentrated before she stomped and all the rocks, big and small, that Charon had placed outside in the yard began to lift as though gravity had switched off._

_"I did it! Without words! I did it!"_

_She tackled Charon in a hug, releasing her spell to have the rocks, everywhere from pebbles to bounders, fall to the ground, the latter causing a few big booms in the process._

_"Of course you did it," Charon said. "You are a natural at this."_

_"I feel like I can do anything! I don't know, I just…I've never been so calm and relaxed when I've used my powers before. I've always been_ _…_ forced _into using them."_

_"Hey, you're here and you're free. And you are learning faster than I've ever seen someone learn their powers. At least in my experience."_

_"I have a great teacher."_

_"If by great, you mean winging it, then totally. I rock. No pun intended."_

_She laughed and wrapped him in another tight hug. "Thank you, Charon. For everything. For saving me, for helping me, for teaching me."_

_"It was my pleasure. Now, let's see if you're up to a little portal making."_

_"Right."_

* * *

"Magnus!" Charon hissed.

"Who's there?!"

"Shh! Be quiet! You wanna get me caught?!"

"Who are you?" He asked quietly.

Charon allowed himself to be visible, still disguised as Shu, standing outside Valentine's cage.

"Shu!"

He pressed his hands against the clear wall of the cage.

"Shh! I've fooled the cameras to my presence, but they can still see everything that's going on in there."

Real-Magnus/Not-Valentine thought for a moment. "Give me a moment."

He then started pounding on the glass desperately. "Shu! Please! Anybody! Can you hear me?! I'm not Valentine, I'm Magnus Bane! Please!"

He began to sob, falling to sit against the glass, still facing Not-Shu, so that it looked like he was losing his energy.

"Wow, you're good."

"I can't feel our soul bond," He whispered without moving the rest of him and keeping his head down in despair.

"I know. It's me, Charon. I'm using Shu as a backup in case I get caught by someone coming in. Look, Shu is not in a good state right now. She can barely stay conscious with the soul bond so weak, but she can still feel your pain. I'm trying to find a way to fix this, but busting Valentine out isn't going to be an easy task."

"Please! I'm not Valentine!" He shouted for the cameras, before lowering his voice once more. "How did you get in here? I warded this place against all Downworlder power, and that should play to a certain extent to demon powers as well. Even if you can survive in here, you shouldn't be able to use you powers."

She pulled out Shu's necklace from under her shirt. "I borrowed a little something. Demon-safe angelic abilities. Comes in handy."

"Look, I have to convince them that it's me. Maybe you can get Shu to help confirm it, but-"

"She's in no position to be up and about, which is why I'm here. But Shu can at least pretend to be a Shadowhunter and fool sensors even when under close examination, but I, however, will be found out as a Greater Demon even with this thing. I'm sorry, but it's gonna take some time."

"Where's Alec? Please tell me Valentine's not-"

"He's done nothing to Alec except manage to convince him that he's just you having an off day. He doesn't seem hostile. He just wants to get out of your body."

He shouted for the cameras again. "Please! I'm Magnus Bane!"

Lowering his voice again, he continued. "Then we're in agreement. Can we convince him to agree to switch us back? I think I might have a way to reverse this, but-"

Suddenly Alec came stomping in and Charon disappeared. Alec flicked the lights on, slammed the door open, and stomped in, grabbing Not-Valentine and shoving him up against the wall.

"That's enough!"

Not-Valentine placed his hand on Alec's shoulder. "Alexander, thank god you're here. You have to listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me! This sick game of yours is over!"

"It's not a game. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not Valentine. I am Magnus. Azazel switched us with a curse. Unum ad Unum."

"You're insane."

"Alexander!" Not-Shu shouted, coming into the cell. "Let him try and prove it. Tell us something only Magnus could  _possibly_  know."

Not-Valentine gripped Alec's arm. "You gave me an Omamori charm that I carry with me every day. It was after our night in Tokyo."

He tried to take Alec's hands, but the Shadowhunter held him back.

"We were at the Palace Hotel. And we kissed on the terrace, and then you…"

"Stop."

"And then you took me in-"

"Stop!"

Not-Valentine was silenced, the two of them breathing hard.

"How do you know these things?" Alec demanded.

"Because…" Not-Valentine said, his voice breaking. "It's me, Alexander. The day of Valentine's massacre, you told me that you loved me. So if you love me, please. Please, you have to believe me."

Alec hesitated for a long moment, and Not-Valentine reached forward. "Alexander-"

But Alec shoved him back once more.

He held his hand out, his voice shaking. "J-J-Just…stop."

Alec turned to leave once more.

"Alexander!" Not-Valentine called, on the verge of tears.

Alec shoved Shu out of the cell and then slammed the door closed behind them.


	22. Agony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves, Malec fans. Brace yourselves.
> 
> And review. That might help too.

"Alexander," Not-Shu called. "Alexander!"

"What?!"

"Why don't we just slow down and take a moment to breathe."

"You don't  _seriously_  believe him?"

"I know that after the attempt to capture Azazel that the soul bond has been weakened between me and Magnus. He did  _something_  at the least. And Magnus was acting weird earlier, right? What if he is telling the truth?"

"This is Valentine we're talking about. He could just be taking advantage of a situation and we're putting together things that aren't related."

"And what if there's even the  _slightest_  chance we're not? What if, on the off chance, one in a million, you're being unwilling to believe the  _truth?_  If that  _is_  Magnus, under some kind of spell and that's why I can't feel the soul bond because of what Azazel did, Magnus is suffering under the torture of Valentine, and you just shut him out."

Her phone buzzed and she cursed under her breath, pulling it out and clicking off the alarm.

She held out her hand and a sphere about the size of a baseball appeared, clear and glowing with some kind of magic swirling around inside. "This is a Sphere. It contains some memories of mine. Watch them and then tell me if you're not convinced. Right now, I have to go."

She portaled off, leaving Alec to get into the elevator alone.

* * *

The entire way up, Alec stared at the Sphere in his hands. He wasn't really sure he wanted to see what was inside. Shu almost seemed too confident in the fact that what was in there would prove Valentine was actually Magnus.

Before he could make up his mind, the elevator reached his floor and he walked out only to meet up with Jace. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Jace, we need to talk."

"Yeah! I heard you banished Azazel. Congratulations!"

"Yeah. Um, this is gonna sound crazy, but…I was just with Valentine, and he says that he's Magnus, that Azazel switched them with some kind of a demonic curse."

Jace smiled in disbelief. "What?"

"I know. It's hard to believe, but it's just that…he knew things only Magnus could know. Like,  _intimate_ details."

"Okay, well he could've had a Warlock steal your memories."

"No. That's not possible. I would have noticed. Plus, Shu tells me that Azazel did  _something_ to weaken the bond between her and Magnus, that she can't sense him anymore, so she can't be sure if Azazel did something or not."

"Okay."

He pulled Alec off to the side and out of the open.

"Well, just remember that this is Valentine. He's always ten steps ahead of us. He's always planning his next move. Alec, just trust me. You don't wanna fall for his lies. He convinced me that I was Clary's brother, his son, and the evidence all pointed to that being the case, but in the end, I'm not. And he told me that when holding the Soul Sword, so all that evidence was just something that we were putting together, the power of suggestion causing us to believe him when we shouldn't have."

Alec shifted from foot to foot and pursed his lips, realizing that Jace had a point. He slipped the Sphere that Shu had given him into his jacket pocket, and walked off to deal with Valentine.

* * *

_Shu skipped around in the new world._

_She spread her arms and took a deep breath of the nature around her. She had no idea what this place was, if there were any people around, what animals were out there, where she even was._

_But it was freedom. The air was cleaner, and for the first time in her life, she didn't sense the demonic aura all around her of Edom. The aura was fresh, weak, and it was like a weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders._

_"I take it you like it here," Charon said behind her._

_She giggled and spun around, feeling the cool air as she sliced through. "This is amazing!"_

_Then, a loud roar seemed to shake the earth and she shrieked, snatching up Charon._

_"What was that?!" She demanded._

_He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Probably just one of the animals around here. Don't worry. Compared to demons, he's just a bug trying to stand out."_

_"I hope you're right."_

_"There's nothing to be afraid of. I got you."_

_His magic shot up around them and he teleported them away. Shu nearly lost her balance and gripped his arm tightly as they came back out again._

_"Still getting used to that_ _…" She muttered._

_She fell backwards, her legs giving out beneath her, as she had just made her first portal out of Edom, something that most, if not all, regular demons of all ranks had yet to accomplish. Charon could understand her exhaustion, as doing anything for the first time when it came to magic was draining, since the body wasn't using to handling that kind of strain._

_He quickly caught her and kneeled to rest her on the ground, and she smiled through her heavy breaths. "We made it."_

_"Yeah. All thanks to you."_

_She shook her head. "No. I couldn't have done it without you. I wouldn't even be_ alive _without you. Thank you."_

_He smiled and brushed a hair off her face. "Any time, angel."_

_She laughed weakly. "Stop calling me that. I can't tell if it's insulting or not for a demon to be dubbing me an angel."_

_"Hey, we demons acknowledge that we're not exactly the nicest guys. Besides, you do got_ some _angel in you, darling, meaning I am_ totally _appropriate in calling you that."_

_She smiled. "Fine, fine. I'll take pride in the nickname, dork."_

_They both laughed together, but it was quickly silenced as Shu went back to regaining her breath and Charon started staring at her face, a dazed expression taking over._

_Before either of them knew it he was sealing his lips on hers._

_She had no idea what was happening, considering she hadn't ever been taught what a kiss was, but Charon was being extremely gentle, and she knew he wouldn't ever hurt her._

_Before she even needed to worry about oxygen, even in her tired state, it was over._

_"Sorry," He quickly breathed. "Sorry, I_ _just…that was inappropriate. Great, you probably thought I was suffocating you. Not my intent!"_

_"Charon!"_

_She took his shaking hand. "It's fine. That was supposed to be a good thing, right?"_

_He nodded quickly. "Right. Yes. Good thing. Weird good thing, but good thing."_

_She laughed. "Hey, calm down. I'm fine. Perhaps you could teach me more about this good thing."_

_He hesitated, but let out a deep sigh. "I'd be happy to, if you're okay with it."_

_"I am."_

_"Good."_

_"Good."_

* * *

The lights in Valentine's cage suddenly flicked on.

"Alexander?" Not-Valentine muttered. "Alexander! Is that you? Please! Please, they're torturing me! I can't take any more of this!"

"I know the feeling," Not-Magnus said, walking in.

Not-Valentine stood in shock, walking over to the edge of the cell to meet his body and Real-Valentine.

"Let's get you out of here."

Not-Valentine started knocking on the glass walls. "Guards! He's here! Valentine is here!"

"It's no use. I've cloaked myself so no one can see me."

Not-Valentine dropped his hand. "You fool. You have no idea what you're doing. After your capture, the Clave hired me to create wards to block Downworlder powers from being used in this cellblock. Not only can't you break me out, but your cloaking spell won't work in here."

"We'll see about that," Not-Magnus countered.

He moved to wave his magic forward, but nothing happened. He tried once more, but the same result.

He smacked his wrist. "What the hell?"

"They can see you," Not-Valentine declared.

Not-Magnus quickly moved to hit the sound on the cell before looking around innocently as the Clave Inquisitor and a couple guards came walking in.

"Mr. Bane, what are you doing here?" The Inquisitor asked.

"I was brought in to check on the wards you had me install. After Azazel's escape there was a concern that his demonic energy may have weakened them."

"Brought in on whose authority?"

"Are you questioning my integrity? After everything I've done for the Clave?"

"Your security clearances are hereby terminated. Escort Mr. Bane out."

The two guards took Not-Magnus by the arm each and took him away. Not-Valentine was pounding on the walls of the prison, trying to tell them, but Not-Magnus had activated the sound-proofing.

And now the Inquisitor got to have her way with Not-Valentine once again.

* * *

Shu was screaming.

"No! Mama! Uncle! Mama! Wake up! I'm sorry! Father! Please!"

"Shu, it's not real, this isn't-!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!"

* * *

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I didn't mean to…! Please!"

The Inquisitor let Not-Valentine scream and cry, before giving him a break from the agony rune.

"Where is the Mortal Cup?" She demanded.

"Please…please, you have to believe me. I'm Magnus Bane. S…Somebody used the Unum ad Unum spell on us. I don't know."

"This had gone far enough. You're never going to tell me where the Mortal Cup is, are you?"

"I don't know," He sobbed.

"Prepare him for execution."

"No, please! Please!  _Please._ "

* * *

_He keeps smiling at me._

_He lies dead on the ground._

_He laughs and hands me a flower._

_I reach other to take the ring from his corpse_.

She finally began to relax once more, only half conscious, but breathing hard. "They're going to execute him, Charon."

"You can hear what he hears?"

"I can still feel his fears, but they're fading already. The agony rune keeps enhancing the connection, but…but it's not worth it. Please, save him, Charon, please. If he dies, even in Valentine's body…"

"I know. Just stay strong, I'm working on it. He will  _not_  die. You need to hold on."

"I can't. I can't! He's going to die, and I can't do anything!"

"Hey. Hey!"

He grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly. "Remember that day on the Blackfriars Bridge? Remember how empty you felt? Remember how helpless you felt as an unseen enemy just squeezed you from the inside out? You remember how sad you were?"

She began to fall limp.

"Do you remember how terrified I was? Because I do."

She closed her eyes as he fed the memory back through her.

"And do you remember how strong you were?"

* * *

_Charon was running._

_Demon and angelic powers had been disabled by her. She was going to do it._

_Even if she survived the fall, Magnus wouldn't. She wouldn't protect him. If he died, a piece of her would die too, only making this worse. And she would let the rest of her shattered pieces drown._

_A woman was already trying to coax them off. Magnus was hesitating. Shu kept them both up there._

_"Shu, stop! I'm sorry! I'll take any punishment, just_ please _come back!"_

_She gave no response, her resolve for jumping only being revived upon hearing his voice._

_"I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you-!"_

_"Too late!" She snapped without turning around._ _"You lying, cowardly, snake! You're like_ every _other demon! You want me and my power, you want me to trust you, to work for you, to do your bidding! Well I'm ending this! This stupid power-struggle, this stupid game of trust!"_

_"It's not like that! You of all people should understand that I_ did _fall in love with you! That was_ never _a lie!"_

_"And you have the gall to say these things to me while you still wear that face?! The face of my uncle, my_ father _, who you merely used to make sure that I trusted you?! You stole his face from my memories to gain my trust and love of him for yourself!"_

_"That's how it started, but that's not how it is now! You want to do this not to punish yourself, but to punish me! You're doing this because you know that the worst punishment for me is to see you jump! But that's only because you know that I don't want to see you die! Not because of your stupid power, but because I love you! I could take your memories of what happened, I could have never revealed anything in the first place and led you blindly into whatever the hell I wanted, but did I?! The fact that you're still up there is showing how much you hate me, how much I've_ let _you hate me, and how truthful I'm being!"_

_She was crying, her tears mixing with the rain as her fists were clenched at her sides._ _"What's the point of doing this? For the rest of eternity I'll be used, hunted, tortured, and the only reason I'm alive is because they want me that way. What does staying alive do for me, huh?! All it does is allow this endless dance to continue. I'll fall into their hands eventually, again and again each time I escape. I can't keep doing this forever. But there is no such thing as eternity if you end it."_

_"So you're giving up? You're submitting to them?"_

_"I'm defying them! I'm giving one last fuck you by killing the very thing they want so desperately, and no one can stop me! Else they'd be here already. They made me strong enough to ward of the greatest of demons and angels alike, and they made me strong enough to ruin their plans!"_

_"But I'm here. You let me in. Because you wanna hear what I have to say. You are_ strong _, Asushunamir, you can't just give up. Fight back against them, fight back against everything that stands in your path, because I know you're strong enough to beat back anything."_

_"That's right. I'm strong. Strong enough to decimate everything in my path, including people I love. There's nothing good in me, Charon, no good purpose I serve. There's no point in me living, not with an infinite lifespan, with so many things trying to use me."_

_"And that's why_ living _is the major fuck you, not_ dying _! Right there! Everything points to you ending your life, solving the problems all with one simple death, but that's not you! You will tear down the skies even if someone demands that they not be touched if you knew that it would help save people. But you will also have the will to stand down when others are driving themselves into reckless action."_

_She let out a slightly humorless chuckle. "Tearing down the skies wouldn't save anyone. I'd still hurt_ someone _, no matter how many I save. And they all die in the end anyway. Everything seems to be ephemeral but me. So what's the point?!"_

_"The point is, you have seen the goods and the bads in the world, but no one can ever tell you how to use your powers now. No one can ever touch you again. Every joy you've ever felt, isn't that worth fighting for? Joy is ephemeral, but that doesn't mean that it can't be revived, again and again. It doesn't mean you have to just accept it."_

_She took deep breaths, her tears no longer flowing._

_"Just give me_ one _chance, Asushunamir. Let me show you that I'm not fake, that I love you. Show how strong you are, give all those fuckers that dare challenge you a 'Fuck you' right to the face. Because you can guide people, help them not make the mistakes and suffer the consequences you have. You've learned what's out there and the world and survived. Your immortality doesn't mean endless pain. It means endless chances for joy. Endless chances to live. You have an infinite future ahead of you, and I know you're brave enough to face it."_

_Unbeknownst to them, Magnus had already come down._

_Shu turned around, and allowed Charon to walk up slowly. He took her hand, and she let him pull her to the right side of the ledge. Into his arms._

_"One chance, Valak. One chance."_

_"Okay."_

_But that was too close of a call for Charon. He'd messed up. He'd put her into a state that she could never climb back from, no matter how much he tried to support her. He knew that. He knew she'd give him a chance, but there was nothing he could do to convince her again, no way to guarantee she'd never stand on a ledge like that again._

_And so by the time the storm clouds parted, the events surrounding Shu's place standing up on that bridge were blurred by all those involved, and Charon left Shu with vague memories of a breakup. He couldn't be very creative, but he managed to get his point across before he left._

_He wouldn't be able to look at her face knowing what he'd done. He'd lied and deceived her, and promised to be truthful only to lie again._

_How he wished he could take his own memories, forget something so easily. But he'd never entrust those memories to any other demon, and there is no way to fully destroy the memory of something. Whether or not you remember something, what happened happened, and no amount of memory erasure could change that._

_So Charon walked away a coward, weak and burdened with guilt only he could understand. And Asushunamir walked away strong, her heart given more time to build ever stronger, so that one day she might regain these memories, and she'd not be on another ledge ever again._

* * *

"I wasn't strong," She whispered.

"Yes you were. You came off that bridge. You gave me one chance when you believed everything was falling apart."

"But it was the memory loss that kept me strong."

"No. The memory loss just made you  _believe_  you were strong, but you were the one who made yourself that way. No amount of memories can change that. Whatever you believe, whatever you remember, none of it can change what is fact. Take a memory demon's word for it. You were strong, you  _are_  strong. You just needed some memory meddling to make you believe it. Now that you do remember, I know that you're only going to get stronger."

She hesitated for a long moment, so long that Charon thought she'd fallen asleep again.

"Take me to him, Charon."

"What?"

She moved to sit up on the bed. "Take me to him. I've recovered a lot of strength since my body's adjusting to the weakness of the soul bond, but if I can get close enough, we can rejuvenate it, make it fresh once more, even with him in Valentine's body."

"No! You are in no condition to be breaking into the Shadowhunter Institute, worse, Valentine's cell."

"Then you have to bring him  _here_ , Charon. I don't care what it takes, who's trust you break, whatever. Just portal him here, and we'll reestablish the bond. Then, once I'm at full strength again, we grab Valentine in Magnus's body and make the switch. After that's done, we can return Valentine to the Clave, no harm no foul. Bringing Valentine to Edom will leave him no place to run."

Charon shook his head. "B-But…what if I get caught? They'll kill me on sight, Shu, and I'll draw attention to your face, making it so that you're known as a Warlock who has runes."

"Just change my face slightly. The only ones who have taken a good look at my face are the Scooby-Doo club. People can say they've seen me around, but they'll have no choice but to believe that the face you're using is the one they've been seeing all along. Please, Charon. If you want me to forgive you for all you've done, just please do this  _one_  thing for me."

He swallowed, but sighed after a moment. "I'd do anything for you, angel. Now get some rest. I'll be back."

She nodded, her eyes already drooping, and she collapsed against the pillow on the bed once more.

* * *

"Alec," Not-Shu called. "I heard Valentine is going to be  _executed?_ "

"Inquisitor Herondale put in the request, yeah."

"They  _can't_  do that."

"As much as I hate Valentine, you're right."

He walked forward, and Not-Shu quickly followed after to find he was going to the elevator where the Inquisitor was.

"Inquisitor Herondale. I heard you put a request in for Valentine's execution."

She pressed the button on the elevator. "Unfortunately the Clave has denied that request. They don't understand. Valentine will  _never_  tell us where the Mortal Cup. It's time to take matters into my own hands."

The elevator dinged and she walked in. Alec walked in behind, but when Not-Shu moved to follow, the Inquisitor held her hand out. "Not you, ma'am."

A group of Shadowhunters moved in from out of nowhere and suddenly grabbed and restrained her. Her hands were pulled behind her back, and the next thing she knew her hands were cuffed together and her powers were disabled.

"You are hereby placed under arrest. You are not a part of this facility, nor are you in any of the databanks of the Clave. Upon further investigation, it seems you hold demonic blood."

"Hey, hold on a moment," Alec protested.

"I know you think you know who this is, Mr. Lightwood, however, this is not a Shadowhunter, nor even a Downworlder. We've also detected traces of angelic power with you. I don't know what you are, but you will not be roaming freely about this Institute, and you will certainly not be going anywhere near Mr. Morgenstern."

Not-Shu scoffed. "Should've gone for Magnus first."

"Take her away."

She was dragged away, both her demonic powers and the angelic powers from her ring temporarily weakened and/or disabled.

"Alexander, look at the Sphere!" She called. "You have to save him! You have to save  _her!_  Please, Alexander! Please! If he dies, we don't know what will happen!"

The Inquisitor sighed and walked back into the elevator. "Now, shall we?"

* * *

The elevator arrived, and Alec walked nervously after the Inquisitor.

"You're going to execute Valentine?" Alec questioned. "Right here in the Institute?"

"I disabled the security system."

"That's not protocol, that's-"

"Mr. Lightwood. Either help or go. The choice is yours."

Alec hesitated as she marched over to the cell and activated the lights. Alec followed and opened the door for her, still concerned as to what she planned to do.

"Put him in the chair," She ordered.

"Alexander, what's happening?" Not-Valentine asked nervously.

"Now."

Alec hesitated, but moved his eyes from her to him.

"Alec…no…" Not-Valentine muttered.

Alec then moved forward to do as she said.

"No, no. Please. Please don't do this. Don't. Don't do this. Please. Don't do this."

"Gag him," She ordered.

"Alexander, what are you doing? Please don't-" The gag was placed over his mouth. "Please don't do this! Please!"

But Alec stepped away and let the Inquisitor walk forward. "My son is dead because of you. And it's been 23 years, and the pain just never goes away. Guard the entrance."

Not-Valentine looked to Alec pleadingly. "Please."

Alec hesitated once more, not completely okay with what the Inquisitor was doing, but he turned and walked out.

Alec sighed as he stood by the elevator, before remembering what Shu had told him.  _Look at the Sphere. You have to save him. You have to save her. We don't know what will happen_.

He pulled the sphere out of his pocket reluctantly, wondering how to activate it.

Then, his eyes clouded over as the memories were transferred into him, no different than using a rune to share a memory.

_It would seem the Warlock I tampered with_ was _the one little Shu was bonded to. Do you care?_

_I switched Magnus Bane and Valentine Morgenstern, sure_.

That was Azazel. Oh, gods, it was true.

" _Hello, Alec._ "

A hologram of Jace and Magnus appeared, Jace's hands shackled together.

" _Alec, I'm so sorry,_ " Jace said. " _You were right, they switched._ "

"Magnus…!"

Shu (Real-Shu) fell through a portal, unable to catch herself, but crawling her way forward.

"Stop it…! Don't…! Please…!"

She made her way into the cell and held her wrist forward. In a spark, a cord of magic appeared connecting their wrists. Shu gasped and took a deep breath, lying on the floor of the cell before Alec surged past and pushed the Inquisitor, who had a seraph knife drawn (though she was slightly recoiling from the soul bond's appearance).

"Stop! Stop! Whoa! Stop! It's not Valentine!"

Not-Valentine sighed in relief, while Shu pulled herself to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" The Inquisitor asked.

"You've taken my light…your darkness will come," Not-Magnus said.

She looked over to see the hologram of Not-Magnus and Jace.

"What did you just say?" The Inquisitor asked.

"I'm repeating your words back to you," Not-Magnus said.

She walked out, and Alec removed the gag from Not-Valentine while Shu quickly handed the cuffs around his wrists.

"Maggie, I'm  _so_  sorry I couldn't make it sooner."

"I couldn't feel it."

"I know. But it's still there. I wanted to come sooner, but Charon trapped me in bed."

"You remember the fire message you sent to me the night Stephen died," Not-Magnus continued. "The good news is, in exchange for my freedom, you can save your pure-angel blooded warrior."

"I don't make deals with devils," The Inquisitor said.

"You chose the wrong bait," Jace agreed. "For all she cares, you could slaughter me right now."

"I don't think so. Imogen wouldn't dare slaughter her grandson."

"After all your lies, you expect me to believe I'm a Herondale?"

"Stephen Herondale was your father, and his wife Céline was your mother." He looked to the Inquisitor. "You ever think about poor Céline? Nine months pregnant when she took her own life. Her dead body ravaged by Werewolves, her unborn son eaten alive. Or was he?"

"You didn't…" She muttered.

"The Clave took  _so much_  from me. So I took something in return. But I'm sure you want further proof."

He held up a silver ring.

"My family ring…Where did you get that?"

"Off Céline's very hand. You have one hour to meet my demands, or your grandson dies."

And the image disappeared.

* * *

"Can I please get my friend back?" Shu asked. "Looks kinda like me? In every aspect because he's disguised as me?"

"The demon that attempted to break Valentine out?"

"Under my orders, because I wanted to make the switch between these two before something like this happened."

"You made a deal with a demon?"

"Yeah. I gave him a memory of the last time I ate spaghetti."

"Wait, you were serious?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, dude. Spaghetti is awesome. Anyway, can I get him out in a civil way, or are we going to have to do this by force?"

"Bad enough that I have to make a deal involving the freedom of Valentine, but a deal involving the freedom of a demon?"

"Fine, force it is."

She waved her hand, and suddenly a duplicate of her appeared, Real-Shu holding onto the necklace of Not-Shu.

"Oh, hey," Not-Shu said.

Real-Shu pulled the necklace off and put it around her own neck before waving her hand as some magic came out of the Inquisitor's forehead and formed a Sphere in her hand.

She passed it to Not-Shu. "Keep that safe for me, will ya?"

"Uh, yeah, that might be in my best interests. On that note, I am out."

Not-Shu disappeared, before Real-Shu waved her hand and the Inquisitor snapped to attention.

"Right, where were we?"

* * *

Shu knocked on the door to the apartment, and Not-Magnus opened the door, staring at his own body in confusion.

"Sorry he couldn't come alone, but since your souls were switched, this happened between us," Shu said, holding up her wrist to reveal the ten-foot long chain that had been dragging behind them. "We keep this deal clean, all right? You each get your bodies back, a fair trade, and then Jace lives for your freedom."

She and Not-Valentine walked inside and Not-Magnus threw up the wards behind them.

"You used Jace to get me here," Not-Valentine said. "Now let him go."

Not-Magnus turned around before waving his hand and blasting Jace away into the next room and closing the door. He then opened a portal behind Not-Valentine.

"The first person who leaves here is me," Not-Magnus declared.

"As per the deal," Shu agreed. "Now, let's do this thing already. I know you don't like being tainted in a Downworlder body."

Shu snapped her fingers and objects from around the room flew over to them, including a desk, which then held a good deal of ingredients along with the Book of the White.

She rubbed her hands together. "Now."

She began pouring some ingredients into a bowl and mixing them, Magnus measuring out some powders to add in as well.

"Try anything, and with the flick of my finger Jace dies," Not-Magnus warned.

"Ooo, look who likes being a Warlock," Shu taunted. "Don't worry. This is a rather simple concoction. Besides, this is not the first, nor probably the last, time Uncle Azazel has switched people to tick me off. Now, I hope you know how to pronounce Latin properly."

She poured the mixture into a pair of glasses and handed one to each of them. "Bottoms up, boys."

The two held the drinks up. "Reddite animas nostras," Not-Valentine began.

"In earum corpora," Not-Magnus finished. ( ** _Rough translation:_** ** _"Restore our lives to our bodies"_** )

They each took a swig of the weird liquid and then set their cups down.

Shu took a step back and held her hands out to either of them, before bringing her palms together to clap in front of her.

The two of them flinched, a blue glow of energy surging out for each of them to meet in the middle. The glow flashed brighter, and the two of them were lifted up off the floor. Each of their eyes darkened to black as images of their real souls began to get tugged free.

Shu then pulled her hands away from each other, shooting them out in either direction, and in one final flash, all of the magic disappeared, and the two men fell to the ground, Shu hit with her own wave of fatigue and falling to her knees as the soul bond flickered back to life between her wrist and Magnus's.

The two boys gathered their bearings, before Valentine - Real-Valentine - looked to the still open portal.

Shu then tackled him as he tried to get to his feet, pulling him away from the portal while Magnus took over and tried to wrestle him down. Shu waved her hand and the wards for the apartment came down, Clary, Alec, and oddly enough that Sebastian guy running through.

"Alexander!" Magnus called.

Valentine shoved him away in his distraction and Valentine made for the portal. Clary sprinted after him and charged in to tackle them both through as the portal disappeared, Clary's will overpowering Valentine's and taking them back to his cell where the Inquisitor and the Shadowhunter guards were waiting for him.

* * *

"Two soul bond jumps in one day," Shu muttered.

"Actually the first one was yesterday," Charon pointed out.

"Shut up."

Magnus and Shu were still chained together from their soul bond, but they'd fix that later. They walked into the main area where Alec was picking up some broken glass from when Shu and Magnus had tried to wrestle down Valentine.

Magnus sat on one of the couches while Shu and Charon sat on the other across from it, the soul bond plenty long enough to reach.

"Magnus, I am  _so_  sorry…" Alec said. "…for  _everything_  you had to go through."

Magnus shook his head slightly. "That agony rune…it made me relive memories I've spent… _centuries_  trying to forget. Centuries  _we've_  spent trying to forget."

Shu rested her head against Charon, laying back with the same dazed expression as Magnus - trying to keep calm when the emotions were overwhelming.

Alec sighed and sat down next to Magnus, trying to come up with something to say. "Magnus, tell me how to fix this. Just tell me what to do. Please."

Magnus shook his head with a sigh. There was nothing Alec could do, though it wasn't his fault.

What Magnus was dealing with was beyond even him.


	23. Falling

_Shu walked up to the roof. She climbed up onto the ledge. Hadn't someone else stood up here recently?_

_The skies were full of clouds as the sunset painted the world purples, reds, oranges, and yellows._

_She held her arms out, seeing the entire city below her. The wind blew through her, and she took a deep breath, the cool, fresh air sweeping into her bones._

_She stood on her toes and then fell forward. Gravity took her, yet she felt weightless. The breeze barely fazed her as she fell through the air. There was a slight bit of fear tugging at her, but it was quickly transformed into excitement._

_Below her, a pool of water laid on the ground beneath her, reflecting the sky above. As she fell through, she seamlessly dropped into the reflection of the sky, suddenly far from the ground and flying down through the clouds that had been far above before._

_As she fell through the emptiness of the sky, she felt at home and free. It had been a long time since she'd flown, been free of solid ground. She'd never felt so lightweight, unburdened by the feelings in her chest that had felt so heavy._

_Her wings were there, she felt them. She could soar wherever she wanted, feel weightless and in control. She felt the wind flow gently against her skin, blocking out all other sounds._

_Then, she let herself fall._

_She flew down, until she smashed through the water below into the sea. The wind was gone, replaced by the current, and the sound around her was muffled further. She could still breathe through the liquid, and her wings worked just as well, serving the same purpose of propelling her forward._

_Now the pressure of the water pressed her from all around, but it felt comforting as well, as though it was supporting her, as nice as a hug. She let the water swallow her, protect her, empower her. The pain in her chest felt crushed within the water surrounding it, beaten down and defeated within her as opposed to being lifted away by the sky._

_Either way, she felt supported, free to let go of everything because she was in her element. In the open sky and the deep depths._

* * *

" _Shu._ "

She sighed, releasing a small stream of bubbles out of her mouth.

She didn't like when she had to leave the quiet of the water, by her own choice or when something came up. And right now, the water felt like the only thing keeping her stable. She couldn't fly through the sky, so this was the closest thing she was going to get to that state of pure relaxation.

All immortals need a break from the world sometimes, or a way to pass the endless years, so meditation was an essential skill to master. Some liked to be active, maybe running for Vampires and Werewolves, or practicing to strengthen magic for Warlocks.

Pure angels and demons didn't need such techniques. Even with their immortality, they couldn't ever get bored. Shu figured it was because they held no mundane blood within them. There was a reason that out of all experiments that the demons had worked with, only the daughter of the mundane survived.

She pulled her head above water, hearing and feeling the air around her as opposed to the water. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, Charon."

"You know, people really overuse that lie. I'm beginning to think that the words 'I'm fine' have literally no meaning in this world. Or does 'I'm fine' actually mean something else? English is hard. I'm more used to Latin, so I guess 'Fine' doesn't mean something good, it means something bad. Is that it?"

"I suppose so."

He moved to sit next to the bathtub. After thousands of years of knowing each other, plus their former relationship, they'd long since gotten over being shy about their bodies, with each other at the least.

"I know you're not okay. The agony rune, I heard what you were shouting. Some of the things were mixed in from Magnus's perspective, some of them applying to both of you, but I know you. I know what you saw. Magnus can't be doing much better, so the two of you can't just be fine."

"I'm…numb. The pain…I've adjusted. I don't know. It feels like I can keep it in control."

"I told you you were strong."

"But I'm not carefree. I fear what happens when I attempt to face all that I am holding back. I am warding off the pain, but that doesn't get rid of it. It's a natural cycle that none of mundane nature can escape. Even, in rare cases, those without mundane can suffer such symptoms."

"Keep your spirits high. If not for your sake, for your brother's. Don't just blow over everything, obviously, but don't drown in despair, either."

"I know. I'll try."

"I'm right here if you need me, you know."

"I know. Thank you. For giving me all of it back."

"I guess it just made all of this worse, huh?"

"It gave me some good to go along with the bad. I understand why you did what you did. You had no choice but to do as your master, my 'father,' commanded, you still don't. I get it. In the end, you're just a victim of circumstance."

"I didn't fall in love because I was told to, not once I actually had. And I'm sorry for using his face. For  _still_ using his face."

"It's okay. I guess…in a way, you've helped me. Even immortals have limited memories. I would've long since forgotten his face, his voice, his smiles, his laughs, everything. I wouldn't know anything about him, wouldn't be able to see the first man who showed me kindness when I wanted to look for strength. Having the second keeping his memory alive comes in handy, I suppose."

"Yeah."

A moment of silence settled between them, before Shu felt a tug on her soul bond, the chain still attached to her wrist and going all the way out the door. It took a lot of emotional practice to reestablish a soul bond, and since she and Magnus had long since learned how to lengthen and shorten the soul bond with ease, they both silently agreed that they could use some time before they were ready for that.

Shu stood, stepping out of the bathtub and using her magic to dry herself instantly, as well as a glow overtaking her body before a black dress appeared on her. It covered her entire chest, as she wasn't one to show off that part of her body, but it was sleeveless and hugged her figure down to her hips before the silken fabric flowed down to the ground loosely. It almost seemed to float, as though she were still underwater.

She wasn't much of a dress wearer, but it felt elegant and smooth, like her dreams of flying and swimming. In its own way, it kept her grounded while also free, same as the experiences. She kept her feet barefoot as well, since she was still at home, and it also helped her relax. Magnus was going through his own phase (sequences, yea).

"What's up?" Charon asked.

"Downworlders are revolting. Shadowhunters have been found killed by all species, and recently, one was apparently found killed by a Warlock. In all cases, no matter who the Downworlder was that killed the Shadowhunter, they were all distinctly carved of their runes. The skin containing any runes was sliced off, leaving numerous patches of…well, unpleasant gore. The Clave is demanding that we hand over DNA samples to be cleared. Magnus is slightly upset by Alec blindly following orders. I'll handle this. No coming out, Chare."

She walked out of her bathroom and then out of her bedroom into the main area. "I've already been updated on the situation, Alexander. Here, a hair. Let your Shadowhunters have a party with it."

She handed it over, though not untampered with, as the Clave finding out about her angelic blood wouldn't be fun, placing it in a little envelope that Alec had brought.

"Magnus. Shadowhunters are being slaughtered. I'm just asking for a strand of hair. Let's not be overdramatic."

"Well…" Magnus said, clearly on edge. "I wouldn't wanna be overdramatic."

He plucked a hair from his head as Alec opened another of the small envelopes. Magnus slowly put it in, as though he were making a trade with a devil and was  _not_  happy about it.

"Thank you," Alec said, moving to hug him.

"Get out," Magnus snapped.

"What? Magnus, come on…"

Magnus snapped his magic to life and waved his fingers, the door opening behind him. Alec looked down before reluctantly walking past and out the door.

Shu looked between the two of them and rushed after Alec down the hallway, closing the door of the apartment behind her (the soul bond lengthening along with her). "Alexander. Alexander!"

She managed to stop him in the hall as he turned back. "I'm sorry about that. He's just…on edge, you know? He's having one of those days. Don't hold it against him. These attacks on Shadowhunters, all the recent events, the fact that we're still working on reforming the soul bond so that we aren't stuck with these things are our wrists…" She held up her wrist to make a point. "It's just…getting to us. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's fine. I get it. Things are hectic, and asking you for DNA samples just seems rude, and I should trust him, trust  _both_  of you. I don't wanna make it seem like I'm looking down on you, or anything-"

"The DNA samples are just for safety's sake. And if we've got nothing to hide, they shouldn't mean anything. We're all on edge. We just all need a moment to take a long break and breathe, but obviously there'll never be enough time to do so. Just…find this murderer soon. We Downworlders have been looked to as heathens for things like this that…yeah. Remember when people were burnt at the stake and hunted as witches? Downworlders. If the suspicion of Downworlders goes too much further, well…a lot of people aren't going to be happy. Uh, anyway. I shouldn't hold you up longer. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. We could all use a pep talk once in a while."

"Right. I'll see ya later."

He nodded. "Bye."

* * *

When there was a knock at the door, Magnus waved his hand for it to open.

"How'd you know it was me?" Dot asked, smiling as she walked in.

"My powers are  _wild_  and beyond understanding," Magnus said, refilling his glass.

"And we saw you crossing the street outside," Shu added, waving the door closed behind her.

"So, have you come to talk us into spitting into a cup for a Clave?"

"You kidding me?" Dot deadpanned. "Look, I'm all for stopping those murders, but when the DNA brigade came knocking, I portaled out. I had that shop in Salem. This isn't my first witch hunt."

"I'll drink to that." He looked to the glass in his hand. "Oops. I suppose I already am."

She rolled something together between her palms and held out a bottle. "So…came by to bring you these."

Shu stood and snatched up the small bottle she offered. "Dragonfly wings?"

"I thought it might help. From when Magnus lost his powers. After being blasted by that Greater Demon…"

Shu and Magnus shared a look. That must've been how Valentine explained his power loss to Dot. Maybe that's the story he used to get her to teach him magic again, explaining his sudden decency at it.

Magnus swallowed and nodded. "A disturbing ordeal."

Shu walked over and put them onto the shelf, while Magnus paced back around the room in thought of what had actually happened.

Dot put her hand on her hip while she studied Magnus. "Whiskey rocks. Your heartache drink."

"Not always."

"It's me, Mag. I've known you for centuries. Pour me one. Talk. Or not. Either way, you should never drink alone. And Shu doesn't seem to have a glass."

"I have had  _one_  shot!" She protested. "And I am already done for the night. I'm going to bed. Good night."

She walked off, the soul bond once again lengthening for her, as she plopped down on her bed.

* * *

"Alec Lightwood…no wonder you're a mess. Mortals are always trouble, you know that."

"Says the Warlock who had a fling with Mark Twain."

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a man with a mustache."

"Me too, but only if it belongs to Freddie Mercury."

She gasped. "So  _that's_  why you dragged us to all those Queen concerts! 'We Will Rock You,' indeed."

"Oh, don't be crude. I fall in love with the soul before the sex."

"Was it my soul you fell in love with?"

He shrugged. "What we had was wonderful. That was…wow! That was almost a century ago. But that's not what I mean."

"So, find a Warlock soul to fall in love with. Then, when the Clave declares war on the Downworld, your boyfriend's not trying to hit you up for a cheek swab."

Magnus scoffed but smiled. "Okay. So if Warlocks are so divine…"

"Mm-hm?"

"Why haven't you hooked up with any… _handsome_  magic-maker in the past six decades? Not that…anyone's counting."

"Touché. What can I say? It's hard to find a Warlock who's super hot and lives in this realm. And who's also a good dancer."

"Why, Miss Dorothea…is that a challenge?"

* * *

The gramophone had been brought out to play music, and Magnus held his hand up as he finished his drink, before he and Dot began dancing around the room to the jazzy beat.

Magnus was easily able to keep up with Dot as they did a choreographed lap around the room before heading to the balcony, jumping up on the ledge (Magnus using his magic to keep them safe). They hopped down once more, before Magnus spun Dot out and then twirled her into his arms as the song came to an end.

"My life would be a boring tragedy without you," Dot said.

"It would indeed," He said, smiling smugly.

Dot could only laugh at him. "We are  _so_  lucky that chain isn't affected by anything."

"Else this dance would've been  _much_  more interesting," He agreed.

The two of them smiled to each other, before Dot turned more nervous.

She slowly leaned in to kiss him, and he nearly let it happen, but he backed away at the last second. "I'm…sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be."

"I'm in love with Alec."

"I-I know…"

"I just…"

"Had a moment."

"And a bottle of whiskey."

She chuckled and nodded.

"You're  _incredibly_  beautiful, Dot. And soulful, generous. But…I'm afraid I've always been a one-soul-at-a-time kinda guy."

She smiled. "Alec's lucky to have you."

Then both smiled sadly at each other, and Dot turned to walk back inside.

* * *

_Shu sat at the ocean floor. She wasn't so deep down that she couldn't see the sun, but she was alone except for the wildlife._

_She watched as fish swam by, big and small, white plants shifted slightly with the movement of the water._

_Her hair and dress swirled around her, the only sounds the movement of the water. It was perfect for her. She was surrounded by a serenity she had never known the luxury of. With sound so muffled, it felt like she was in her own private heaven._

_"It's nice here."_

_In a swirl of dark ink, Charon appeared, swatting away said ink when it didn't go away. "Ugh, underwater travel."_

_Shu laughed, bubbles streaming from her mouth, her voice coming out clear in the water. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Dreams are often manifested of memories. Well, normal dreams, anyway. I remember the first time I took you to see water. Being submerged had once been a means of torture for you, thrown down into the water while tied to a chair, having the wind knocked out of you, only for you to be instantly tugged back up, trying to breathe, before they shoved you back in again. Not to mention it was freezing cold and nearly caused the shutdown of major organs and-"_

_"Are you_ trying  _to ruin my place of comfort and security?"_

_"Sorry. I'm not good at mincing words."_

_"You can still do it though."_

_"No. I just take the memory of offending someone and replace it with fake ones."_

_She laughed and whacked him on the arm. "Cheater!"_

_"Congratulations. You have found the very definition of demons."_

_He tried for a sarcastic applause, but it was muffled by the water._

_She couldn't stop laughing now, shoving him through the water, though the liquid impeded the movement._

_"So, how's that manhunt for someone killing Shadowhunters going?"_

_"I hear they want to try and put trackers in us."_

_"Yeesh. And they say demons are evil. At least we kill you and put you out of your misery."_

_"Yeah, that's_ so _much better."_

_"Better than having your every move tracked and suspicious of every little thing you do. As if Downworlders didn't have to be treated as second class citizens already. Now they're treated like criminals just because one of them's gone rogue."_

_"One of them?"_

_"Yeah. I looked into that since I know you and all your Downworlder friends don't like witch hunts and found out it was a single Seelie doing everything and making it look like the Downworlders were revolting. Clever little plan. And it was Jace's old girlfriend. Ha. Irony."_

_"I have to tell the others. Gotta fly."_

_"Don't get yourself captured. That wasn't fun."_

_"We'll just let the Scooby Doo club take the girl down and all the glory without us getting involved. Easy."_

_"I know you're careful. Just_ _…"_

_"I'll be fine. But thanks for caring, Chare."_

_"Any time, angel."_

* * *

Alec walked over to Magnus, standing out at the balcony. "Magnus, you were right. You never have to prove yourself to me. I love you."

He put his hand to Magnus's arm and pulled him closer. Magnus swallowed, moving his hand to the side of Alec's neck. "I love you, too."

With that, he kissed him, and Magnus got some much-needed peace in his haunting torment which he buried up within him.


	24. Meetings and Memories

" _So it's important that this meeting tonight goes smoothly._ "

"It  _will_ ," Magnus assured him. "I'll be by your side the whole time."

" _A-Actually I'd…rather you not._ "

"Have I done something wrong?"

" _No, not at all. It's just, I don't wanna be accused of any kind of…Warlock favoritism._ "

"I see. Perhaps another Warlock should go instead."

" _No, I-I need_ you _there, Magnus, but as a Warlock representative. Not as my boyfriend. Is that okay?_ "

Magnus shrugged, but realizing that Alec couldn't see it, he said quickly, "Of course. It's best that we keep our personal and professional lives separate."

There was a paused as Alec seemed to take a breath of relief. " _Thank you._ "

He hung up and Magnus pocketed his phone.

"Right, let's get rid of this thing," Shu said.

* * *

"Concentrate, Magnus."

"I am."

The two of them sat in front of each other, their hands with the bond locked together. They were trying to put the bond back onto their souls instead of on their bodies, but something was interfering.

Magnus scoffed and pulled back. "This isn't working. We're just not ready for this at the moment."

"It's fine, Mags. We'll just both have to go to the meeting. It's not like the other leaders of the Downworlders aren't used to both of us sticking together for things like this."

"Good thing you're in a fancy dress already. It'll do. Just put on some shoes, and  _no_  sneakers."

She rolled her eyes and snapped on some black wedge sandals. "This all right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Better than nothing. And please try to be on your best behavior."

"That's my line, dear. With the soul bond weakened, anything could happen."

"Let's go."

* * *

As the portaled to outside of the Institute, Shu and Magnus shortened the soul chain so it wouldn't drag and then glamoured it so that it was invisible.

"Shall we, Miss Kandai?"

"We shall, Mister Bane."

They headed inside, and when Magnus saw Alec standing there after Meliorn, Raphael, and Isabelle walked off, he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

As they approached, Magnus cleared his throat. "Lovely to see you Mr. Lightwood."

"And you Mr. Bane," Alec agreed, shaking his hand.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but circumstances require me to not leave Magnus's side," Shu said, also shaking his hand professionally. "I won't be a burden, I promise."

"It shouldn't be a problem. Thank you both for taking the time."

"We wouldn't miss it," Magnus said. "I have  _tremendous_  respect for the new head of the Institute."

Alec looked down and tried to keep the smile off his face, while Shu and Magnus walked after the others.

"Okay, the chain should phase through even the Shadowhunters and Downworlders," Shu whispered. "It's been a while since we've had the chain, but I think I've worked out how to mess with its properties."

"So it can lengthen and shrink to our needs as well as be no bother to anyone or anything?" Magnus clarified.

"Correct. We can't go out of the room without one another, but otherwise, we're free to mingle however we wish."

"Good, Being stuck with you all night would be hazardous."

"I see we're back to the old 'I hate you, but I'm bonded to you' lifestyle."

"You betcha."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

"Excuse me, Miss…Shu, was it? I don't think we've been formally introduced."

Shu turned to see a tall man with blonde hair standing beside her. He had runes on him, so he was obviously a Shadowhunter, but there was something just…off about him. There was something in his blood, she could sense it. Her own power began to react to it, though whether in a good or bad way, she couldn't be sure.

Her wrist started to shake, and she moved it behind her back and clamped down on it with her other hand, trying to keep it still. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was…staring. How rude. Um…how do you know my name?"

"We met briefly during the hunt for Azazel. You were quite the expert on him."

She didn't remember that. During the hunt for Azazel she was bed-ridden in Edom. It must've been Charon. She remembered him telling her something about going and looking after Magnus so that the soul bond wasn't put into any danger while it was in a delicate state.

She realized she hadn't said anything and quickly nodded. "Well we've had…encounters before."

"You said you've banished him previously."

She nodded. "Numerous times."

"That must be quite a feat. You're skilled."

"Yes. I once killed him with a rock. I kicked it, while my hands were restrained, and hit him  _right_  in the chest. And I did it in heels, mind you, which is a feat in it of itself."

He chuckled. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Trust me, I don't think you'll need the reminder. I…am  _pretty_  eccentric. Oh, uh…what was your name again?"

"Ah, yes. Sebastian Verlac. I'm from the London Institute. I'm working security tonight for the Cabinet meeting."

"That explains the accent. I love London. I remember helping with the construction of Big Ben. And the palaces were  _wonderful_ , even back in the day. Though France was a nice place too. I had some adventures involving Marie Antoinette, Vampires, and a hot air balloon. Ah, fun times."

"I was wondering why you were here at this meeting, and why I haven't seen you around the Institute. Are you here for the meeting of the Downworlders?"

"Yes. I'm representing the Warlocks with my brother Magnus."

"That explains your adventures. So you were merely glamoured as a Shadowhunter to aid in the hunt for Azazel. And that's why you weren't cleared for a mission and best away from the Institute."

"The little Scooby Doo club of Shadowhunters that you're acquainted with are really the ones who trust a Downworlder in their ranks. I've heard some disrespectful sneers from gossiping Shadowhunters that are against Mr. Lightwood's decision about bringing so many Downworld leaders into one place."

"This is a meeting for peace."

"Speaking of the meeting, I should probably join the others. But it's been nice meeting you."

"You as well."

As Shu smiled and walked away, she moved her hands in front of her, her wrist still shaking and her blood tingling from the vibe that guy was giving her. Whoever he was, he wasn't a normal Shadowhunter.

* * *

"So what does this…Downworld Cabinet even mean?" Raphael asked.

"It means creating total transparency about all Shadowhunter decisions that involve the Downworld," Alec explained. "The goal is to have weekly meetings here to discuss any updates, questions, or concerns."

"Well, I applaud Mr. Lightwood for his progressive thinking," Magnus said.

"Because you're totally unbiased," Raphael muttered.

"He's trying to make peace," Shu argued. "Alexander has only the best interests at heart. He is better than the other previous leaders of the Institute who have had no concern for our opinions nor feelings."

"Alec, you are not the first to attempt something like this," Meliorn pointed out. "But it never works out because the Clave is not willing to compromise."

"But I am," Alec declared. "In time, we  _will_  be able to reason with the Clave. I'm sure of it."

"And what about Valentine?" Luke asked. "Can this cabinet appeal for his execution?"

"If this is going to work, we can't start with the impossible."

"Well that's kind of hard to believe considering the man that massacred our people is sitting in a cell beneath our feet."

"Luke, I know you're upset, but we have to be diplomatic about this," Shu said.

"Diplomacy gets us nowhere. Nothing has changed in 20 years."

"The Werewolves aren't the only ones with their vendetta," Magnus protested. "Everyone has a reason to want Valentine dead.  _I_  more than anyone."

"And why is that?"

Magnus looked to Alec. "You said total transparency."

Alec nodded, and Magnus took a deep breath. "You remember Azazel? Before we sent him back to Hell, he used…demonic magic to put Valentine's mind in my body."

"So Valentine was walking freely," Raphael realized. "Wearing your face?"

"Yes, but not for long. He's now back in his cell, for good."

Luke sighed. "This is what I'm talking about. The Clave has to know about this. If Valentine was able to escape, they  _have_  to execute him."

"The Clave already knows," Alec said. "It won't change their minds. What other options do we have?"

Luke pursed his lips. "I need to talk to my pack. Excuse me while I make a phone call."

"Let's take a recess," Alec agreed as Luke stood and walked off, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket.

* * *

"Perhaps meeting within the Shadowhunter Institute is putting too many on edge," Shu suggested.

"That's an understatement," Raphael muttered.

"We should try not to be biased towards any one of our kind, including Shadowhunters, whether you are the ones trying to show your trust or not. However, I do worry about if the Shadowhunters will stay behind you. All of our people are concerned about these peace talks, whether one day we're going to walk in, but we're not going to walk out.

"I understand your concerns," Alec said. "When Luke gets back, we can discuss a neutral location for meetings."

Sebastian walked in, tapping Alec on the arm. "Might I speak to you for a moment?"

Alec sighed and stood. "Excuse me."

The two walked a small distance away and has a small talk, before Alec's face turned concerned and the two marched off.

"So, how's everyone's century going?" Shu asked.

* * *

"Well, that went well," Shu muttered. "Lucian had to pick tonight to go and try to attack Valentine and nearly kill him."

"On the bright side, I think I'm getting you into wearing heels and dresses."

"Only those of my own making that I can tolerate."

"Ooo, admitting it. Who are you and what have you done with Asushunamir?"

"I locked her in a closet and stole her identity. Mwahaha!"

"Ho-oh, a closet is  _far_  from enough to keep that girl down."

"Well she is mentally exhausted, and is going to bed now. Night."

"Night."

* * *

_Shu hopped across the coral of the reef, weighing nothing in the water so doing no real damage. Her silk dress was a soft turquoise this time, and had sleeves going about half way down her arm._

_"We couldn't establish the soul bond today," She called._

_"Something wrong?" Charon asked._

_"Maybe. I think I'm coping with what happened,_ _but…I can't_ _expect him to be all right."_

_"The water helps you, I think."_

_"Dreams help me. I've long since learned how to meditate and calm myself over the millennia, but Magnus is barely 400 years old. Even for people twice his age, they'd still crack under such pressure. I'm trying to help him through it, but it will take time. The memories themselves are haunting, but the torture, Alec's disbelief in him, the emptiness left by the soul bond's resetting_ _…he's hurting, and I'm the only thing keeping him afloat. If not for me, he'd be drowning in the depths."_

_"I believe in you. You're strong, and you can help him."_

_She hopped off the edge of the reef and slowly descended to the sand below, hitting the floor of the ocean gently as ever._

_"I'm getting better, and Magnus is trying."_

_Charon sat down beside her. "Has he told the Lightwood boy?"_

_"No. I feel that might be the best thing for him, but Magnus is too afraid for Alexander to see that side of him. How are you supposed to show someone the worst moment in your life and expect them to understand how it felt? To them, they know it's horrible, but experiencing it yourself is the only way to truly know how painful it is, how it eats away at your soul."_

_She put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes, the ocean around them darkening, and the wildlife of the reef disappearing. All that remained were the coral, and those began to slowly lose color as well._

_"The pain, it's crushing. But in a way, it's also easing."_

_She let out a deep breath, life returning to the reef once more. She opened her eyes and spread her arms out beside her._

_"This is how I have learned to see pain. Perhaps that makes me a monster, but that really isn't a surprise. I can deal with pain. And I know how to do it on my own. But Magnus needs to tell Alexander. He needs to ask for help. That's the first step in learning how to cope on your own the right way."_

_"Have you told him that?"_

_"I've tried, but I don't want to push him. I'm still connected to Magnus, but with the soul bond out and away from bonding our souls themselves, I find myself unable to properly dictate what going too far is."_

_"What's it like? Having a soul bond with someone?"_

_"It's so wonderful. It's not lust, there's no lust involved. But it's complete trust in someone, feeling your everything being supported by another, mixing with another. It's a type of bliss that few can ever find in this world. Some friends of mine had a soul bond that was designed for lovers. Even for them, it wasn't all about lust. It was about that deep bond within you, knowing that you put your everything into them, you can feel what they feel, and shall never have any chance of betrayal. Even a parabatai can barely scratch the surface of understanding."_

_"So the truest of love isn't about lust, but absolute trust?"_

_"That's putting it lightly, but yes."_

_He sighed. "I guess trust is a foreign concept for me."_

_"How so?"_

_"I'm a memory demon. Memories contain the truths of reality, but I twist and turn that truth. Perhaps that's where the Seelies got their cunning. Even for me, truth becomes distorted as I take and give memories. Through my own nature, I'm unable to comprehend what truths are, nor keep truths that way."_

_She moved to take his hand, still staring up to the shimmering water. "You can be truthful. You were with me."_

_"And yet I continually manipulate memories, almost unconsciously. Distorting reality itself, for if all don't remember something, it's like it never happened."_

_"But that doesn't mean it didn't. You said so yourself. No matter what we remember, memories can't change reality."_

_"Yeah."_

_He tried not to think about how comforting her hand felt in his. If he had to guess the feeling of having a bonded soul mate, this is what it might be like. That feeling of warmth, as though you were whole from just their very touch._

_But it wasn't the time for romantics between them._ _She was in pain right now, in a delicate state. He didn't want to take advantage of that. If she was going to forgive him, let it be on her own, and not with her emotional state influencing her._

_"You should get back to Magnus. He probably needs your support more than me."_

_She shifted closer and turned so she was perpendicular to him, resting her head on his chest. She pulled their interlocked hands to her stomach, resting her other hand atop the pile to hold his in place._

_"He's sleeping. Five more minutes like this, okay? Just_ _…this."_

_And, in all honesty, who was he to deny her that?_

* * *

When Alec woke up in the morning, he reached over to find Magnus gone. "Magnus?"

He was sitting in the main room with a tea cup in his hand. Shu was lying on the couch, having woken up with Magnus's mind stirring her awake. Even without the soul bond at full strength, the trauma shared between the two of them held so many similarities that it managed to break through.

_Magnus had looked for his mother, calling out "Mama?"_

_He found a lump under the bedsheets, but wondered why she wasn't responding to his calls. Curiously, he walked over and pulled the covers away, only to find his mother lying stabbed through her stomach with a knife, blood pooling across her white dress._

_"No!"_

_Shu had walked home from the field she played around in her free time, and went reluctantly to search for her mother. Oddly enough, she wasn't in the main room. "Mama?"_

_She went around the house to find her mother, but once she was seen by the woman who despised her, a man grabbed her and pulled her away, kicking and screaming._

_"No!"_

There were so many differences, yet so easily could the two scenarios also be related. That is why Asmodeus had bonded her to Magnus. Their stories were different, unique, yet alike in enough ways that they could sympathize, that their souls stood a chance of surviving the soul bond because their souls already shared enough matching scars.

"There you are," Alec called, slipping on his shirt.

Magnus breathed before putting on a smile and turning around. "Good morning."

Alec scoffed. "I'd say the same, but it looks like you haven't slept."

Magnus stood and walked over. "Should I be insulted by that?"

Alec let out a small chuckle. "No…I love that face. But this is…like the fourth morning in a row that I've woken up to an empty bed. Is something bothering you?"

Magnus worked to keep his smile and shook his head. "Nothing is bothering me. I've even gotten used to your adorable little snores."

"Hey, I don't snore."

Magnus closed his eyes and imitated snoring.

"Look, I know you well enough to know something's going on."

"Alexander. I'm  _fine._ "

He gave him a kiss before changing the subject and walking past.

"So what about you? Have you decided what you're gonna report to the Clave?"

Alec sighed. "I'm torn. If I don't tell the Clave about Luke's attempt on Valentine's life, I'd be in violation. If they find out, I could be de-runed."

Magnus nodded and turned back. "Whatever you decide, I'll stand by you."

Alec put his hand on Magnus's shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive."

With that, Magnus walked away before Alec could question him further.

* * *

"Hey, Shu."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me…is something going on with Magnus? I just…something's bothering him, but he won't tell me what."

"Well it could be our soul bond being taken away."

"I thought you guys resolved that."

She held up her wrist and the chain shimmered to life about a foot down. "It's still there, but we've managed to hide it. It takes a lot of emotional preparation in order to put it back where it belongs, and as Magnus and I have grown accustomed to living with it, that strong connection between our bodies and minds, having it downgraded back to a physical chain is a bit jarring."

Alec nodded skeptically. "Maybe. I don't know if that's it though."

"Well, if anyone can get it out of him, it's you, Alexander. Oh, how are things with the Clave going?"

"I need to make my decision about telling the Clave about Luke or not. If I do, I could be de-runed, but if I don't and someone figures out, I could also be de-runed."

"Well, how about you offer up some other solution? The attack on Valentine can easily be downgraded to protests against keeping him in the Institute. Just say that the meeting with the Downworlders unanimously agreed that moving Valentine somewhere else, possibly Idris, would be the best option to restore peace. Everyone's on edge with Valentine here, even Shadowhunters. Moving Valentine out of the city is the best way to restore relations with the Downworld, and keep anyone here from trying something like what Luke did. The Werewolves and the Vampires of New York took the biggest hit in numbers, and have the highest drive for vengeance. I have no doubt the Seelies hold their own kind of grudge. Moving Valentine to a safer location is the best option, and it  _has_  to be convincing enough for the Clave. There's no reason  _not_  to take Valentine to Idris."

Alec chuckled in relief. "Shu, you're a genius."

She smiled. "I know. Just hurry over to the Institute and make the request. And I volunteer to be the Warlock to help portal him there."

* * *

She set her guitar down when she heard the knock at the door and stood to open it and find Alec.

"Hey. The trip is scheduled at 2."

"I'm all set to go when you are."

"Where's Magnus?"

"Over there. I think he needs you right now, Alexander. Whether he admits it or not."

She let him into the apartment and then went over to the couch to grab her guitar and continue playing. Music had always kept her calm, and over the years, it could calm anyone if nice enough. Even Magnus liked hearing it, and right now, it at least helped distract him somewhat.

Alec walked in, but Magnus barely noticed him.

_Magnus's step father walked in upon hearing the boy's shouts, and then starting shouting at the young Warlock for what had happened._

_Then, the little boy glared at the man, and his Warlock mark eyes activated._

_Shu tried to rip her arms free, staring back at the woman who never loved her, who refused to even care. She let her rage burn, she let out everything that she'd kept inside, amounts of anger she didn't know she had._

_Her eyes flashed to life, a brand appearing above the back of her hand_.

"Magnus. Magnus."

Magnus snapped out of his thoughts and realized Alec was in the room, recomposing himself and standing. "Well, hello. I was just about to make myself a drink. You want one?"

Alec looked down and tossed his jacket onto the couch. "No. We're…transporting Valentine to Idris."

"Even more reason - we can toast to Valentine's… _highly_  anticipated departure."

"I love you, and I know something's wrong. Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

Magnus hesitated in pouring his cocktails. "I appreciate it, but I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to leave until you talk to me. Do you remember when you said, 'When things get crazy, don't push me away?'"

Magnus swallowed, setting down the drinks and turning to Alec, fiddling with his fingers. "When I was tortured in Valentine's body…that agony rune…made me relive my worst memory.  _Our_  worst memories. And now…I can't get it out of my head. Every time I close my eyes…"

He moved to sit down in the chair, and Alec kneeled in front of him. "Hey…what is it?"

"Remember I told you how I found my mother dead by her own hand? My stepfather found me shortly after. He screamed at me. He called me an abomination."

"What?"

Magnus chuckled humorlessly. "He was right. He blamed me for her suicide. He said that she hated herself for giving birth to a monster…So I lashed out…with  _all_  the magic I had."

_Magnus thrust his hand forward, and a blast of magic shot forward. When it hit the boy's stepfather, he screamed in agony, his entire body exploding out with burning power from the amount of energy forced thrown him._

_When Shu's magic exploded outwards, she destroyed everything around her. And through the screams of the men around her, she never broke her gaze from her mother, a sick satisfaction burning within her at seeing the woman suffer._

_She was so focused on her mother, she didn't realize the man standing a short distance away from the house had returned. And he was burning too_.

"I burned him, Alexander…right where he stood. I murdered my stepfather."

Alec shook his head lightly. "You were just a boy. You weren't in control of your powers."

"Yes…actually, I was."

He looked down, taking deep breaths as his tears fell down his cheeks. "I never wanted you to see this… _terrible_ , ugly side of me…of my past."

"Hey…"

Alec took Magnus's hand and placed his hand to the side of his neck as Magnus met his gaze. "There is  _nothing_  ugly about you."

Magnus couldn't say anything and blinked away more tears as Alec wrapped him in a tight hug.

* * *

The group of Shadowhunters, including Jace and Izzy, entered Valentine's cell. He was restrained with shackles enhanced by runes, and escorted out to where Shu, Magnus, and Alec were waiting.

"Valentine Morgenstern," Alec began. "By order of the Clave, you are hereby remanded to the Gard in Idris."

Isabelle nodded, and Shu and Magnus waved their hands, a portal appearing behind them as either one stood at the sides of the exit.

"I may be in a cell, but at least I'll be in Alicante, where the air doesn't  _wreak_  of Downworlders," Valentine said.

Shu kept her face straight, and Magnus shrugged in exasperation. Not that it wasn't expected from him.

"Get him out of here," Alec ordered.

Izzy and Jace looked to each other before leading the march through the portal. Half of the Shadowhunters went in before Valentine, and half of them behind him.

Duncan took Valentine's shoulder and took over so that Valentine didn't go wherever he wanted, and they disappeared through.

Once they were gone, Magnus let out a deep sigh, and Shu put her hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"Think you're ready?" Shu asked.

Magnus nodded. "Ready."

The two of them sat in front of each other, shortening the soul bond as far as they could and moving to connect it to their souls once more. A glow emanated from the purple chain, and each of them felt a warmth that they had been missing ever since the switch between Magnus and Valentine had occurred.

The chain then shattered like glass, the glowing fragments moving to spin around each of them before closing in the rings and disappearing inside of them. They each took a deep breath, before releasing each other's hand.

"Did it work?" Alec asked.

"Yes."

"It did."

She looked over to him. "We are whole again, Alexander. Thank you."


	25. Still More I've Hidden

_"A boy. He has demonic blood, but he…he is a Shadowhunter, my lady."_

_"Interesting. I will see this boy. Bring him to the throne room. And summon my father. I must have a word with him."_

* * *

_"Asmodeus, do you know who this boy is?"_

_"A child born from Lilith's blood, created by Valentine Morgenstern."_

_"Mmm, Mother must_ love _him."_

_"He is still nothing compared to you, my dear."_

_"Does that make you feel better? Considering dear Lilith believes this child will be stronger than any other Greater Demon and all of your creations, I'd assume I remain a personal victory for you. Of course Mother contributed to my creation as well. She always did have the most fun with me. I do hope that this dear boy of hers can survive having her blood coursing through his veins."_

* * *

_Jonathan Morgenstern was terrified._

_His father had sent him to Hell. Demons took him away, left him in a large room, filled with pain from the mere journey there with the monsters that showed him no mercy._

_Then, a woman walked down to him. She looked human, she didn't look to be a demon. Finally, someone that might be able to help him._

_She wore a long, flowing dress, black with white accents, as well as a golden circlet with blood red markings around her head. Her long, pure white hair had been pulled back behind her ears, revealing the sharp features of her face that made her seem both ethereal as well as fiendish._

_Perhaps she wasn't so human, but she was the closest thing he'd seen so far._

_She wouldn't be easy on him, but perhaps he could plead for her protection or aid._

_"You really_ do  _have her blood. But you're still unmarred."_

_"I wish only to leave and return home."_

_"But you can't leave yet, darling. You're made of my dear Lilith's blood. So it's only fair you get the special treatment of us experiments of angelic and demonic blood."_

_The dark clouds of demons began flooding into the room, grabbing onto the boy and burning his skin. As he screamed, the woman walked down to him, her bare feet silent on the floor. She kneeled down and took his chin, forcing him to look to her face, revealing she was much more terrifying up close._

_"Such a pretty face. Too pretty for this world, wouldn't you agree?"_

_The whirlwind of demons intensified the burning and the boy screamed._

_"Only those worthy live with such pure skin. It is a privilege you must earn here. As I'm sure you will learn. Greater Demons, the Princes of Hell. Me. We have earned the right to such respect, to such beauty. You, however have not. But you will get the chance to try and prove yourself."_

_Her fingers began to burn his face where she touched him, and he struggled to escape her and the demons, but it was hopeless._

_"Long ago, my skin was burned off. Layer. By. Layer. If you're really Lilith's little boy, you deserve the special, Edom, guest of honor treatment. Welcome to Hell, my boy. Your stay has just begun."_

* * *

Shu woke up feeling like she was having a heart attack from how fast her heart was beating (not that she could die from cardiac arrest anyway. The demons had tried everything against her).

What the hell was that?

That couldn't have been her. But…in her angelic demon form, her features  _did_  sharpen significantly, but it looked like she'd gained a lot more control over the form, still transformed, but not necessarily in a fighting mode.

That man she'd met the other day at the Downworlder meeting…a glamour. It was a glamour to cover what that little boy became after years trapped in Edom with the demons.

Azazel. He must've been how the boy escaped. And Sebastian saved Isabelle from the Prince of Hell to gain the Shadowhunters' trust.

"Hey, you're up," Magnus called, peeking into the room. "Get ready. We're being summoned to the Seelie court for a Downworlder meeting regarding Valentine's escape."

"Right. Right…"

"Is something wrong?"

"I…" She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I am…honestly not sure."

He came in and sat on the bed, facing her. "What's wrong?"

"I had this dream. There was this woman who looked like me, but she…she couldn't have been. She was like…she lived in Hell with the demons, in Edom. She got along with father, all the other demons…she was…she was like…higher than even Lilith. Higher than  _any_  of them. And there was this boy that was apparently created by Valentine who ended up in Edom, but she…she tortured him for having Lilith's blood. Said that he had to prove he deserved having unmarred skin. So she burned it. Because she had to go through the same before."

"And is that true about you?"

She nodded. "She said she was an angelic demonic experiment, and that those like her had to go through the same trials to prove they're worthy of living in Edom, being as strong as they are. Something like…if you wanna be great and powerful, worthy of a title, you have to suffer first. Survive the torture, and only then can you be worthy."

"Is that what you believe?"

"That's…I don't know. I don't wanna believe it, but in the end, results have shown trauma to be an effective way of either making someone stronger or breaking someone down. The majority of the time, trauma and torture result in nothing but sorrow, making someone weaker in a way. But in the cases that someone is able to turn that pain around and use it in one way or another…it  _does_ make them stronger than someone uninfluenced. The stronger the pain you survive, the stronger you have to become. Or the weaker."

"Do you think it was just a dream?"

"Who can say? I'll ask Charon about it. If he's taken anything else from me, I might be able to get it out of him. For now, the Seelie court. An ever joyous journey."

"Valentine has escaped. Can you blame anyone for being afraid?"

* * *

"Shu."

"Yeah?"

Charon appeared behind her as she was taking off her shoes and putting them in the closet, having just returned from the Seelie court. "I've found out something."

"What?"

"The Clave, they don't have the Soul Sword."

She froze. "What?"

"They lied. Jonathan Christopher has it. I tracked him and Valentine to a cabin by Lake Lyn. The real Sebastian Verlac is dead, and Valentine's son has glamoured himself to look like him. He has the Soul Sword, he has Valentine, and…"

She heard him grunting behind her and quickly turned to find him holding his stomach, covered in cuts and bleeding demon ichor.

"Charon!"

She rushed over and helped lower him to sit against the wall.

"What happened?"

"He has Lilith's blood all right. Even though he's part mundane, and part angel, he's…pretty powerful."

"If I'm anything to go by, you mean."

He smiled and shook his head. "Oh no. You scare me a lot more than he does. If it were you, I wouldn't have been able to escape."

She moved his hand out of the way and saw a large slice across his stomach, going from the middle of his waist on the left up to about his ribcage on the right.

"Angelic energy."

"I told you. He has the Soul Sword."

"You took a direct hit from the Soul Sword?!"

"Clary Fairchild weakened its angelic properties and deactivated its Downworlder Doomsday feature, but the thing is still a sword made of angelic qualities. So yeah. Ow."

She put her hands over the wound as they began to glow grey. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Alec was staring at a tablet in the head office of the Institute when Magnus peeked his head into the room.

He knocked on the doorframe as he walked in. "Lost track of time?"

Alec looked up in realization before sighing. "I missed dinner, didn't I?"

"Only by a few hours.

"I'm…I'm  _so_  sorry. Really."

He stood from his chair and moved to give him a kiss.

"I just…it's been… _so_  crazy here."

Magnus shook his head with a smile. "I understand."

"I can't believe I forgot."

He scoffed and put his hand to his shoulder. "It's okay, Alexander. If we can't go to the Cape, I'll bring the Cape to us."

He snapped and waved his magic, a dinner table fully prepared with food and candles appearing in the office. Alec chuckled, following Magnus over to the table.

"Lobster tails and champagne," Magnus said, handing him one of the glasses. "To toast to a successful Downworld meeting."

They clinked glasses and drank before Alec pointed to him and swallowed. "It went well?"

He shrugged. "Relatively. But the Downworlders  _barely_  trust the Clave to begin with. And the Seelie Queen went on and on about the Clave being  _nothing_  but a bunch of liars."

The two took their seats. "That's harsh."

"But Luke, Shu and I assured them that now that  _you_  are the Head of this Institute, and implementing a policy of complete transparency, change was on the way."

Magnus took a piece of lobster onto his fork and aimed it towards Alec, who laughed and took it off with his fingers. "That's good to hear."

"It is, isn't it? Oh! Drawn butter?"

"Sure."

Alec gave Magnus a hesitant look, which the Warlock missed as Alec put on a smile once more.

* * *

"You're telling me Eliot is in trouble?"

"The protection mark he had is on me," Dot said, showing her wrist.

"So more likely, he's dead." She shook her head in frustration. "Dammit. Charon was attacked when he was out looking for Valentine, who has the location of the Mortal Cup. At this rate…the three Mortal Instruments together could summon Raziel and grant him a wish."

"Where's Magnus?"

"At the Institute."

"So you two have worked out the Soul Bond?"

"Yeah. And we feel a lot better. We should get over there. The apartment of a Warlock is going to be a target if someone's going after the mark that had been put on one. We need to keep you and that mark out of enemy hands."

* * *

"After Eliot opened his own shop, we lost touch," Clary said. "But when I was little, Eliot was one of my mom's best friends."

"He introduced me to Joselyn," Dot added.

"Eliot was a good person," Shu said. "I was there at the opening of his shop. I was so happy for him."

"Now you're concerned he's in trouble?" Alec asked.

"The mark on Dot's arm is part of a protection spell. It's a sigil. It only transfers to another Warlock if something terrible has happened."

"Whatever he's got, it must be pretty important."

Dot and Clary shared a look, before Dot nodded.

"It's the Mortal Mirror," Clary admitted.

"Joselyn had it?" Jace asked.

"I know. It's crazy. The mirror and the cup. I-I guess my mom knew Eliot would do anything to keep it safe. As a Warlock he could protect it better than anyone, right? So she entrusted him with its location."

"And Eliot entrusted it to me," Dot finished.

"So you know the current location of the Mortal Mirror?" Alec asked.

"Sort of." She held up her wrist with the circular mark. "These lines coordinate to specific Ley lines in the city. I can figure it out, but it'll take some time."

"We have maps of all the Ley lines. We can help you."

"And we can protect you from Jonathan and Valentine," Jace added. "With those marks on your wrist, it's only a matter of time before they come after you."

"I'll go to Eliot's shop and see what happened," Shu said.

"Jace and I will come too," Clary said, taking Dot's hand. "You'll be safe here."

"Be careful," She warned.

* * *

The glass of the front window had been smashed outwards, and the door had been left open.

Once inside, they saw a man lying dead, his face bloodied up from numerous hits as well as blood running down his face from his eyes.

"Oh, Eliot…" Shu muttered, rushing over to him.

"You see these marks?" Jace asked, examining the shop. "A demon was here."

Shu reached out and closed Eliot's eyes. "He was tortured, and…he killed himself before they could get anything out of him."

"What?" Clary asked. "How can you tell?"

"The blood from his eyes. It's a Warlock incantation. Basically our version of a cyanide capsule."

"I'm sorry," Jace said.

There was suddenly a crunching of glass from behind, and Jace turned, reaching for his weapon, only to find it was Sebastian. "Hi."

Clary stood to meet him, while Shu stayed with Eliot.

_The real Sebastian Verlac is dead, and Valentine's son has glamoured himself to look like him_.

He killed Eliot. All for that Mortal Mirror. And Dot's new mark that Eliot gave her didn't even…Was Eliot's sacrifice, his pain, his death, even worth it?

"Raziel, you have created monsters," She muttered.

"Hey, Sebastian," Clary said, unaware of what the Warlock had said. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh…I saw the alert at the Institute. Is everything under control?"

"We're still not 100 percent sure what happened," Jace admitted. "There was a demon presence here, but something doesn't add up."

"Oh my god," Clary muttered, and the boys turned to see she was staring at some dead and wilted flowers. "It's Jonathan."

"How do you know that?"

"The flowers…My mom shared a memory from when Jonathan was a baby. He'd done the exact same thing. And that grey demon ichor, that's how Valentine described the aftermath of Jonathan's childhood kills. Jonathan was here."

"Sorry, who's, uh…who's Jonathan?" Sebastian asked.

"My brother."

"He must be after the Mortal Mirror," Jace guessed. "If he comes after it again, I'm gonna have to deal with him."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm gonna do anything in my power to protect the mirror."

"You'll  _kill_  him?"

"If that's what it takes. Yeah."

"You don't even know if Jonathan's doing this on his own. H-He could be under Valentine's influence."

"Yeah, Clary's…got a point," Sebastian jumped in. "I mean, what if…Valentine's  _forcing_  him to do his bidding?"

"Yeah, okay, look," Jace said defensively. "I know  _exactly_  what it's like to be manipulated by Valentine. Probably better than anyone. You know, Clary, you read those journals. Jonathan Morgenstern is a demon-blooded monster who is responsible for the death of your friend. An innocent Warlock."

"Remember what Valentine made you do," She said.

"I don't have demon blood."

"Just think about it, Jace. Valentine has manipulated us both. What if Jonathan is just his latest victim? We don't have any facts. And until we do,  _no one_  is getting killed."

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Yeah, I suppose the, uh…the priority right now should be finding that mirror."

"You go on ahead," Shu said. "I'll handle cleaning up the shop and the legal issues of Eliot's death. And I'll take him to the Warlock cemetery to be buried as a hero."

"Shu…" Clary began.

"Go. I don't care who's responsible for this, who's manipulating who or doing something of their own free will. But you will not let Eliot's sacrifice be in vain, Clary Fairchild, do you understand?"

Clary hesitated, looking to Eliot's face, before she nodded.

* * *

"So you're telling me your sister's still alive?" Magnus clarified. "I don't understand what this has to do with the Downworld."

"Cleophas sent me this fire message," Luke explained. "It appears that Valentine's holding her captive. Magnus, she said he still has the Soul Sword."

"That's impossible."

"Look, I thought the same thing, but the Clave lied."

"He's right," Charon said, walking in with his hand over his bandaged torso. "I was tracking Valentine when I was giving this nice souvenir. Your sister's patched me up, but this wound is gonna take a lot of time to heal. It was the real Soul Sword."

Magnus took the fire message from Luke. "I have to tell Alexander."

Luke grabbed his shoulder as he was about to walk out. "Wait. Alec is Head of the Institute. He might already know."

"No. I just saw him. He would've told me if he knew. He would never keep something this important from me."

* * *

Alec was once again sifting through files and documents on his tablet when Magnus came walking in and knocked on the doorframe.

Alec looked up with a smile, before then turning worried. "Please don't say you've been waiting for me all this time."

"No. Just wanted to see you."

Alec sighed in relief, only to see Magnus shifting nervously. "Is everything okay?"

"I thought so. But…now I'm not so sure."

"What's going on?"

"You tell me, Alexander. From the day I met you, the one thing I knew I could count on from you was honesty. Absolute…total…honesty."

Alec looked down in realization, setting his tablet aside and standing. "I can explain."

"You knew about the sword?"

"I just found out, I swear."

"When?" He snapped. "When did you know? Tonight? When I talked about trust. Did you know then?"

Alec hesitated. "I did."

Magnus took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Look, I was worried that if the Downworld found out there'd be  _widespread_  panic. It could have led to a rebellion."

"And you didn't trust me to stay quiet? I might've told my sister, sure, but she would've found out from me anyway or through some other means, but she and I know not to spread the word of something so dangerous."

"I didn't say that you don't. I didn't want to ask you to have to keep a secret from your own people. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"Oh…" He sighed. "You're  _just_  like the Clave…Making promises you never intend to keep. Oh! Transparency?"

"Magnus! Magnus, let's not make this personal."

"How can I  _not_  make it personal? Valentine wants me dead. He wants  _all_  of us dead."

"I know."

"And after I bared my heart and soul. I told you things I've never told anyone. You looked me straight in the eye and lied."

"Magnus, I didn't…"

"I guess it runs in the family."

And Magnus turned to walk away.

"Hey! That's not fair. Magnus! Magnus!"

* * *

"Magnus, please calm down."

"Was he ever going to tell me?!"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "Look, he didn't tell-"

"I trusted him, Lucian. More than  _anyone_. And this is what happens?"

He let power build into his hand before he tossed it into a tray of glasses, shattering them all.

"Hey. Hey!"

Shu grabbed his wrists and held his magic back. "I know you're hurting. I know you're raging. I know what it's like when the person you think you know so well, who you've trusted your life to and your darkest secrets hides something from you, does something terrible. I know! But you  _have_  to settle down."

"No. No, now is not the time for settling down-!"

"Yes, it is. Alexander is trying. He's on our side. You think I don't hate him as much as you do right now? I wanna punch him in the face as hard as I did Camille - harder even because he actually loved you back - and  _he_  doesn't have an enhanced healing factor. But at least I know he would never do anything to hurt you."

Magnus ripped his hands free with a huff. "It's too late for that now. The Seelie Queen was right. We can't trust the Clave. They've deceived us again. Only now, Valentine is free, the sword's missing, and the survival of the entire Downworld's at stake. We need to tell her."

"I don't trust her," Luke said. "I never have."

"She's one of the most powerful people in the Downworld. If we want to stop Valentine…we're going to need the Queen's help."

Luke sighed, and Shu bit her lip in frustration.

"I'll arrange a trip to the Court."

* * *

Shu walked up and smacked Alec across the face, her nails raking across to draw blood. She would've continued further if Charon hadn't been there behind her to grab and hold her back.

She shook him off and stomped her foot down. "You know something? When I did that with Camille, it made me feel better. Now, with you, it doesn't even come close. You need to fix this. And it's not even the Soul Sword that he's angry about. It's the fact that you didn't trust him with something so important. Actually, something so trivial. It shouldn't have been such a big deal to warrant your secrecy. To  _him_  of all people. He trusted you, Alexander. He trusted you with something he was barely able to tell me. When he told me about what happened with his mother, he couldn't even get the words out it was so painful for him. Because it was the first time he'd been able to open up. He knew how hard it was to share that memory, and he shared it anyway. And you can't even tell him this  _little_  detail?!"

"I didn't mean to hurt him! I didn't want him to get dragged into this, have to keep the secret from his friends, his people."

"Trust me, I've seen worse. I know what it's like to have the person you trust most betray you. I know how much it stings, how hard that rage within you drives  _everything_  to the edge. But Magnus doesn't. He's never known love like he has with you, and he's never known heartbreak like he has with you. Because keeping that secret, he would've been able to do that without a second thought for you. And you should've known that. Fix this, Alexander. Fix it!"


	26. Inverted

" ** _You feel it, don't you?_** "

Shu shook her head.

"Are you feeling okay?" Charon asked.

"Fine. Just mentally exhausted. With Magnus's rage, his sorrow, the soul bond still readjusting, all the crap that's been going on, Eliot's death, and all those memories you brought back…it's all just really tiring."

" ** _You hate little Valak, don't you? Everything he did, and you just think he's still not hiding more?_** "

"Are you sure? You look pale."

"Says the guy who's still recovering from that Soul Sword wound."

" ** _I bet it'd be_ real _fun to break his little heart. Plenty of bridges in New York, you know_ _._** "

"Well I think you need a good night's sleep."

"I will  _not_  argue with you on that."

She plopped down next to him on the bed, instinctively shuffling closer to lay her head against him and feel his warmth.

"Night."

"Night."

With that, she snapped the lights off and let the quiet of the night pull her to sleep.

* * *

_Shu was underwater again. At least it wasn't another of those nightmares of Edom from before._

_But there was something different._

_There was no reef, no fishes, no anything. She was merely floating in the middle of the ocean, deeper down so that the light was more distant and it was darker._

_Still, in its own way, it was just as serene. She relaxed and let the ocean hold her, even the small currents that usually came completely gone._

_"_ **_Hello, darling._ ** _"_

_A hand suddenly wrapped around her throat, grasping it tightly and forcing the air out of her lungs. Suddenly, she could no longer breathe in the water, and she was losing energy fast as she struggled to break free of the iron grip._

_" **I'm back~**_ _" A voice sing-songed._

_A woman's face appeared in front of hers, her hair swirling around elegantly in the water, but obscuring a good deal of her face._

_But Shu could've sworn it looked like her in her angelic demon form. The same woman she'd seen in her dream of Edom._

_" **Time to wake up, little Shu.** "_

_Ironically, that was the last thing she heard before she passed out._

* * *

At the Seelie court, Magnus, Shu, and Lucian were taken to the queen, who took on the image of merely a child. Perhaps she did it for irony a girl so young being a woman so powerful within.

"Milady, I now present to you Asushunamir Kandai, Magnus Bane, and Lucian Greymark."

The three of them bowed.

"So the Clave lied and Valentine has the sword," The queen summarized. "Is anyone  _surprised?_ "

Luke and Shu looked to Magnus, who was the one that wanted to be here.

"Milady. We agree that it's time to take charge of our destiny. We've come to accept your offer to unite the Downworld, to hunt Valentine."

"Good. But we do it  _our_  way. No more playing by the Clave's rules."

Luke shifted. "With all do respect, your Highness, we didn't come here to start a war with the Shadowhunters."

"The  _Shadowhunters_  want us dead. You think it's an  _accident_  they  _lost_  Valentine?"

"I don't trust the Clave, but I trust Clary. She told me that she and Jace recovered the Mortal Mirror to  _protect_  the Downworld from Valentine."

"Your love for the Shadowhunters weakens you. That's why your pack has lost so many wolves."

"My pack's losses are because of Valentine."

The queen turned to Magnus. "After the lies your boyfriend told you, surely  _you're_  on my side."

Magnus hesitated, taking a deep breath to speak, but nothing coming out.

"Magnus, we came here to stop Valentine, not make new enemies by breaking the Accords," Luke reminded him.

"Don't let your  _crush_  get in the way of protecting your people," The queen warned.

"The Shadowhunters once hunted Downworlders for sport," Shu snapped. "They only made the Accords to make themselves feel like the good guys. And to escape the wrath of the Downworlders and the punishment they deserve. Maybe your little friends aren't as bad as the rest, but they are greatly outnumbered by the higher ups in the Clave who don't give a damn about us. Eliot recently died because of those Shadowhunters, Dorothy is gone once more. We lost Ragnor in the blink of an eye, after centuries, just because of one Shax demon following us and jumping through his wards. Who will be next, Magnus? I don't intend to stand by and watch Warlock after Warlock give their lives for those idiots."

Magnus looked to Shu, then Luke, and then the ground, pursing his lips in hesitation. "I beg your patience, your Grace, but breaking our allegiance to the Shadowhunters is a…step that requires consideration."

"Decide quickly," She warned.

She walked over and picked a rose from one of the trees.

"Once all the petals on this rose turn black…"

She slipped it into Magnus's breast pocket.

"…your time is up. And remember. Those who don't come to my side… _will_  be on the losing side."

Magnus bowed his head in farewell. "Milady."

And the three of them walked off.

* * *

"What are you doing, Shu?" Luke asked. "' _Buying time_ ' again?"

"Sorry, I just…I don't know what came over me."

"Is that really how you feel, though?"

"What I said was the hard truth. We keep losing people, Luke. Unable to do anything about it but watch as people give their lives trying to fix mistakes that the Shadowhunters cause with barely a 'Thank you' of respect. They don't like to admit their flaws, and even after Valentine, it didn't encourage them to be better people. They still treat us like they're above us, even after Valentine's massacre. They didn't even care how many died. They just moved on with their lives and said 'Get the bodies out of here, they make us look bad.' I'm sick of them, Lucian."

* * *

Magnus sat on the couch in the apartment, staring at the rose he'd been given, spinning it between his fingers.

His phone began to buzz, and he looked to see it was Alec. Then, he set the phone down to look at the flower once more.

* * *

_Magnus sat down a tray with two coffees on it._

_"Cream or sugar?"_

_Alec's eyes snapped open in surprise to find he was lying on the couch in Magnus's apartment. He sat up quickly and looked around to find it was morning and the sun was coming through the window. And he was hungover._

_"Did I fall asleep?" He asked._

_"We both did," Magnus said, sitting on the couch beside him._

_Alec suddenly stood in alarm._

_"On separate couches. Never fear."_

_Alec moved to grab his jacket. "I should have never taken you up on your offer for drinks."_

_"In hindsight, liquor might've been a bad idea after being drained of all my magic to heal your friend Luke."_

_"Not_ my  _friend," Alec clarified, slipping on his jacket. "He's Clary Fairchild's. I've only known her five days and she's already more trouble than she's worth."_

_"You're more than just a pretty face, aren't you?"_

_"What is that supposed to mean? You shared your strength with me to help your_ friend _. It's rare to find a Shadowhunter with such a_ _…open heart."_

_Alec hesitated, finding his words, before he pointed at Magnus. "I trust you. I don't know why. But I do_ _…"_

_There was a moment of silence between the two of them, Magnus unable to make a comeback._

_Alec sighed and readjusted his jacket. "What time is it? I have to get back to the Institute."_

_"Stay for breakfast," Magnus blurted quickly. "I conjure up a_ _…_ mean _Belgian waffle."_

_"No," Alec said. "If you let anyone know that I slept here last night_ _…"_

_"Relax. My reputation's on the line just much as yours. I'd lose_ all _my credibility if my people found out I let a_ Shadowhunter _spend the night."_

_"Then why'd you let me sleep here?"_

_Magnus hesitated._ _"Trust makes you do strange things." He took a deep breath. "Must be something in the air."_

_Alec stared at him for an extra moment before turning and walking out the door._

_Shu slipped into the room once he was gone._ _"So. How'd it go?"_

* * *

When Magnus realized he'd zoned out, he snapped to attention to realize that the rose had darkened slightly, the very tips of the petals turning black.

" ** _Black. Black. I remember black. Black was always good. Black goes with red. Red blood. All that blood. Ichor. There was also ichor. It wasn't just grey, it was golden. Golden. Like the sun. Sun. Light. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Let me out. I'm free._** "

Shu screamed and slashed the curtains of her room. It was returning. Her angelic demon form was returning to her. Her nails had grown out, her teeth had sharpened. Her eye began to flicker. Only her right eye. Only her black one.

"Shu-"

"Leave me alone! Get out of my room, get out of my house, get out of my head!"

She launched herself at Charon, who barely managed to gather enough energy to teleport out of there before he was hit.

"GET OUT!"

* * *

Magnus stood at the window, the charm Alec had given him in his hand, as he watched the rain fall outside.

* * *

_Magnus had been above Alec in Magnus's bed, feeling Alec try to slip Magnus's shirt off while kissing him, Alec having already lost his._

_Then, Magnus's eyes flickered to life and he quickly pulled back, pinching the bridge of his nose._

_"What?" Alec asked nervously. "Am I doing something wrong?"_

_"No such thing," Magnus assured him._

_"Well then_ _…what? Do you not want to?"_

_"No. I mean, yes. Of course I do."_

_Alec moved over to him carefully, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Magnus. What is it?"_

_"It's just_ _…sometimes…I lose control."_

_He turned back around to show that his cat eyes had been revealed, and Magnus wasn't able to suppress them at will anymore._

_Alec let out a smile of relief at_ that _being Magnus's concern. "Magnus_ _…they're beautiful._ You're _beautiful."_

* * *

"Magnus!" Alec called, knocking at the door.

Magnus hesitated, before slipping the charm into his pocket and walking to the door. He opened it before he could stop himself, and Alec took a step into the room so that he couldn't be shut out.

"I know I have no right to ask you for favors," Alec said quickly. "But I need you."

Magnus sighed and moved to close the door again, but Alec held it open.

"It's Max."

"Let him explain, Magnus," Shu said, walking in.

She looked no different than normal, as she had gotten control once more and fixed herself up.

"What happened?"

* * *

Shu let her magic sweep into the boy beneath her, but she felt something within him affecting her.

 _He was attacked by Jonathan, Clary's brother_.

" ** _Lilith's little boy. Oh, how beautiful I made him. Sloppy work, leaving the boy alive. Perhaps we should just finish him off right here and now_** _ **…**_ "

"No!"

Shu pulled her magic back inside her and stepped away from Max.

"What is it?" Magnus asked.

"I-I can't. Jonathan's demonic power…it's a match even for mine."

" ** _Liar. You'd do anything to keep your reputation with all these people. You're angry, but you refuse to let anything out. You keep all that power within you inside, weaken yourself just to make you look more friendly and non-threatening. And for what? All your friends are expendable to the Shadowhunters. Eliot, Dorothea, Ragnor. You'll let them suffer and die, all because you're too afraid to reveal the kind of power you have inside you. Even young Max here will suffer because you refuse to use me._** "

"I…I'm sorry. Tell the others I'm sorry."

She rushed out of the room, leaving Magnus to come out slowly and close the door behind him and face Alec's family.

"His injuries are too severe. Max's only hope for recovery now lies with Brother Enoch."

He referenced to the Silent Brother who was ready to perform a dangerous ritual that could either save Max or kill him for good. Not a lot of people had made it out of the ordeal alive, but it was the only option left for Max.

"But there's gotta be  _something_ …" Alec pleaded. " _Anything._ "

"Brother Enoch," Maryse ordered.

The Silent Brother nodded and moved to go into the room, but Alec stopped him. "No!"

"Alec," Maryse said, taking him by the arms. "I know you're scared. We  _all_  are. But if Max is going to have  _any_  chance, we  _need_  to let Brother Enoch do this.  _Now_."

Maryse let the Silent Brother pass and the door to Max's room closed behind him. She walked to the end of the hall and put her forehead against the wall in fear, Robert sat in a chair, and Izzy moved to sit across from him.

Magnus took Alec's hand between his own. He wasn't happy with Alec, but he wouldn't remain completely heartless while Alec was terrified for his brother. Maybe he could try and put what happened behind them, since he knew Alec  _did_  care.

And he held his hand, trying to say he'd be there for him.

* * *

_Alec and Magnus woke up in Magnus's bed._

_"Good morning," Alec muttered, still half asleep._

_Magnus chuckled lightly. "Morning."_

_Alec head shot to face Magnus. "Oh no, what time is it? I have to get to the Institute," He said, mimicking what he'd said an eternity ago when he'd first stayed woke up at Magnus's place._

_He shifted so that he was lying on his side to face Magnus, who was pulling back in disappointment. "Oh."_

_"No, I'm just kidding," Alec said quickly. "I'm just kidding."_

_Magnus sighed in relief and relaxed once more, Alec laughing at the fact that Magnus had actually believed him._

_"Were you really afraid I was gonna go?"_

_"No," Magnus lied, though he smiled through it at the lackluster attempt._

_"What_ are _you afraid of?"_

_Magnus made a face. "Acid washed jeans."_

_"Oh, come on, Magnus."_

_He broke out into laughter and Alec shifted to lie on his back again._

_"I'm serious. You're an all-powerful Warlock, who can summon demons. You've lived through centuries of war. And you're immortal."_

_He turned his head to Magnus. "What scares you?"_

_Magnus let his eyebrows raise in hesitation, before swallowing. "The key to having no fear is_ _…having nothing to lose."_

_They smiled at each other, before Magnus sighed and turned to his back as well. "I don't know. I guess that's why I haven't_ _…opened my heart up for almost 100 years."_

_Alec looked at him._

_"Then I met you," He finished._

_Alec smiled and reached his hand out, allowing Magnus to take it, lacing their fingers together._

* * *

But Alec let go, walking away to sit with his family, leaving Magnus's hands empty, and letting him move to stand against the doorframe.

Finally realizing what he was afraid of.

Alec had let him go.

* * *

"Clary managed to stop Jonathan from getting the mirror, but when she tried using her sealing rune, like with what she did on the Soul Sword, it completely dissolved."

" ** _You knew Sebastian was Jonathan. You knew that wasn't the Mortal Mirror. You keep all these lies. What happens when they find out what you're hiding. Eliot? He died for a fake mirror. Dot sacrificed herself too. So many hurt, all because you can't tell the truth, have them know the sins you have committed._** "

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah. Fine. How's Max?"

Brother Enoch came out, allowing everyone into the room to see that Max was alive.

" ** _He survived this time, but he nearly didn't because of you._** "

"How'd it go?" Alec asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's okay, Alec," Izzy informed him.

Magnus awkwardly moved away, allowing Alec to take his place next to Max.

The young Shadowhunter groaned before opening his eyes. "Did you catch Sebastian?"

Maryse and Izzy laughed, Alec breaking into a smile. "You almost died, and  _that's_  what you're concerned about?" Maryse asked.

"We should go," Magnus said. "Max, you take care of yourself."

He and Shu walked out of the room. Magnus took out the rose, finding that it was almost completely blackened.

"Magnus, what I said before, in the Seelie court," Shu began. "That wasn't me, I'm sorry. It was just…"

"I understand."

Alec came walking out of Max's room and Magnus quickly slipped the rose into his jacket pocket and turned away.

"Magnus…" Alec said, walking in front of him.

"I'll…I'll leave you two alone," Shu said, walking past.

"Thank you…" Alec began. "…so much, for being here."

Magnus nodded. "I'm glad Max is okay."

Alec smiled, and Magnus tapped his finger against his interlocked hands, before moving to turn around.

"I'm sorry," Alec blurted, making Magnus stop. "I should've told you about the Soul Sword. I made a mistake. But you and me…we always seem to find our way back to each other."

He took Magnus's hands. "Magnus, I  _love_  you."

Magnus sighed and put his hand to the side of Alec's neck, sweeping his skin as Alec leaned into the touch. "I love you too."

Alec smiled, but Magnus took a deep breath and continued. "But as a leader, there are difficult decisions I have to make to ensure the survival of my people. And the only thing holding me back from doing that…is you."

Alec was frozen, dread taking over. "No. No…"

"I can't have both."

"Yes, you can.  _We_  can."

But Magnus shook his head and pulled back.

"Wait, Magnus…wait! We can figure this out."

Magnus continued to shake his head, looking down. "You once asked me what I was afraid of. It's this."

He took a deep breath, before turning away, walking down the hall. He waved the elevator doors open and stepped inside.

"Magnus?" Shu called, looking back down the hallway.

But the elevator doors closed.

"Magnus!"

" ** _It's better this way. Now, your bonded brother isn't distracted by the trivialities of what you call_ love _._** "

" ** _This is your fault. This is_ not _better. He was happy!_** "

" ** _He was weak. And now he's growing stronger. I won't have a little Downworlder crush to a_ Shadowhunter _of all things get in the way. He will become a leader to the Warlocks, to the Downworld, and you won't be at risk ever again._** "

" ** _You're saying you broke my brother's heart and Alexander's all for_ my _sake?!_** "

" ** _Everything I do is for you. You and I are not yet complete. But we will be soon._** "

* * *

"Saving me from Azazel…" Izzy muttered. "It must've  _all_  been part of Jonathan's plan. I was the one to bring him to the Institute."

"Don't," Shu said. "All of us have some responsibility in this. I suspected I sensed something from Sebastian the moment I met him, but…none of you would believe me if I'd told you. And so I didn't."

"At least now we know Valentine can never get the mirror and raise the angel," Clary pointed out.

Shu opened her mouth and hesitated, giving a nervous smile. "That's…not entirely accurate. Even with Clary's pure angel blood, she would've never been able to destroy a Mortal Instrument with her rune. It didn't destroy the sword, did it? The mirror Clary destroyed was a decoy, set up by Raziel and I to lead anyone seeking it down the wrong path. Even Joselyn thought it was the real deal."

" ** _While **killing** Eliot and anyone else who gained the mark along the way._**"

"The mirror is meant to not be easy to find. Only those with more than three quarters of a brain can ever find it, or those put under the right circumstances, given the answers by the angels."

"If you set up the decoy, does that mean you know where the real mirror is?" Jace asked.

"Oh yes. But Clary's been given more than enough clues about this to figure it out. So, do you think you have it yet, or do I have to spell it out for you bone-heads?"

Clary shook her head. "The water. It's a reflection."

"The water?" Jace asked.

"These visions I've been having…they're a message from the angle."

"See? You've got something of a brain in there," Shu agreed. "The Mortal Mirror is Lake Lyn."

* * *

"Charon!"

He appeared in his could of smoke at the opposite end of the room. "Okay, I understand that you're probably angry and unstable, but  _please_  refrain from killing me and take your concerns to your father."

"What is happening? What  _is_  she?!"

"Back while you were the Demon Queen like a millennia ago, you began to embrace the demon side of you."

"I know that," She said impatiently.

"But the angelic side of you wasn't quiet. It…you wouldn't be able to sustain yourself in either direction, Angelic Queen or Demon Queen, and you went through both of the phases, as after you escaped from Edom, you were determined to get revenge on the demons that hurt you, so you went through your angelic phase. Once you had made it to your demon phase, the demons wanted to keep that part of you stable, not risk you going all cosine on us, up and down. So they split your personalities, threw your angelic side here to this world and pulled your demonic side to Edom to continue her reign as the Demon Queen. And I took your memories of what happened so that you only remembered giving up the life of a demon and abstaining."

"So why has father ordered her to haunt me once more?!"

"Because both your demonic half, your father, Lilith, all of them realized that while you were separate, you weren't at your strongest. You became a Shadowhunter, part angel, part mundane, and so to begin the process of integrating you back into demon society, they first bonded you with Magnus Bane, a son of Asmodeus and your brother, because his backstory was so similar to yours. We dragged you back into the Downworld, and now we're pulling you further into demon territory so that you and your other half will be compatible again."

"And if I go all cosine on them again?"

"Her Highness was convinced that she'd be able to pull you to her side again, but I'm not sure even she understands what will happen once you're together again after so much time. I wasn't lying when I said you scared me more than Jonathan. You might be just as unstable, if not more, but with power behind that insanity that could be catastrophic."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"What do you have to say in all this?"

"I…I don't know. I think either way, you're going to be you."

"Is this everything?"

"All of your lost memories? As far as I'm aware. You'll probably get the rest of your demonic form's when and if you fully merge, but I don't think there's anything left to give."

"Then get out."

"What?"

"I don't know what I'll do when she comes out. I nearly killed you earlier. I can feel insanity just…creeping into me, and just my urge to keep sane is what's going to make me snap. Get out, Valak. If father ever asks you why you can't come near me, tell him to talk to me."

He pursed his lips and looked down before nodding. "I'll still be watching. Once you're stable, I'll come back."

"I won't ever be stable."

"Then I'll come when you need me most. And you won't be able to keep me away."

"I'm pretty sure the whole point is I can keep anyone away."

"You can't keep me from trying."

"You'd break your hierarchy status? I  _am_  above you."

"I told you, didn't I?"

He stepped forward, walking right into her before dissolving into smoke the moment he would've run into her.

" _Any time, angel._ "


	27. Pursuit

"After the night is through, you're gonna wish you had these," Magnus said, offering up drinks to Luke and Raphael (the latter having blood in his cup, not liquor).

And together they set the drinks down on the table.

"Just because you're not willing to face Alec sober, doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't walk in this 'Emergency counsel meeting' levelheaded," Luke said.

"No need to be hurtful," Shu said, taking a swig of her drink.

For the first time in her life, she was actually letting the alcohol take effect, and it was actually working in calming the shaking in her hand, in her entire body, and it made the voice quieter. Maybe this was why people got drunk when they were having a bad time.

Luke sighed and shook his head. "You're right. Sorry. It was a long night with the new cubs."

"Where's Meliorn?" Raphael asked.

Magnus held his hand up defensively. "The Queen will be attending this  _very_  special meeting in this place."

"And exactly how do you know that?" Luke asked.

"She told me. And I'd suggest you both cozy up to her. Sooner rather than later."

"She's a fanatic."

"Valentine is a fanatic. The Clave is filled to the gills with fanatics. The Queen is simply a woman with a strong point of view."

"Does that 'strong point of view' differ from breaking the Accords? Because last time I checked, war with the Clave is the order of the day."

"Unless Valentine succeeds in raising Raziel," Raphael pointed out. "Kills everyone with demon blood first."

"In which case, she'd like to offer the entire Downworld protection in the Seelie realm," Magnus continued. "She insists the Court has been beyond the reach of the angels and their power for quite some time."

"So we live in safety as what?" Luke asked. "Her subjects?"

"Loyal guests is how she worded it when I brought up the same concern."

"Oh, uh-huh."

"And you believed her?" Raphael asked.

"I believe that Seelies cannot lie."

"But they don't always have to reveal all of the truth," Shu pointed out.

There was a moment of paused before Magnus sighed and set his drink down. "Look…no pressure, but I have already accepted her offer on behalf of the Warlock community in Brooklyn."

Raphael and Luke shared a glance.

"What's the catch?" Luke asked.

Magnus gave a worried look.

"You're gonna want that drink now," Shu said.

* * *

Alec, Izzy, Clary, and Jace all walked into the meeting room to find the Seelie Queen, Magnus, Shu, Luke, and Raphael all gathered.

"Where, oh where, is Simon?" The Seelie Queen asked.

"Your Highness," Clary said bitterly. "What an  _un_ pleasent surprise."

Alec looked to her nervously. "I'm sure she didn't mean to-"

"No offense, Alec, but I agree with Clary," Jace said. "Your Majesty, is this another one of your little games?"

"The Institute called an emergency meeting of the Downworld Council. I speak on behalf of the Downworld."

Alec's eyes moved to Magnus accusingly. "Magnus, is this true?"

"Henceforth, when you need anything from the Downworld, you shall address me, Mr. Lightwood," The Queen said. "Such is the nature of our new agreement."

Izzy gave Raphael a look, and he averted his eyes as well, though a little less proficient at keeping his face straight.

"Your Highness," Alec began. "Valentine believes the Institute has the Mortal Mirror, and he's not going to leave the city without it. I would like the Downworld's help in locating him."

"In order to capture him so that he might escape once again?"

"In order to execute him, so this threat may finally end."

"Why should we believe you?"

Alec gave a look to Magnus before sighing. "I understand why you might doubt my intentions after what happened with the Soul Sword. And for that, I am sorry. But I founded this council to make things more transparent between the Downworld and the Clave."

"And how has that been going?"

"It's been a bit of a work in progress," He admitted.

Magnus rolled his eyes and looked away once more, while the Queen stood. "For far too long, the Downworld has depended on the Clave - and your Institute - to protect us from men like Valentine. It's time we learnt our lesson and started fighting for ourselves."

"We can't do this alone. Valentine is a threat to  _all_  of us."

"The answer, Shadowhunters…is no."

She turned to walk around the table. "Come along."

Magnus and Shu followed her command, guided also by a pair of Seelie warriors.

* * *

Shu sighed as she and Magnus walked into the apartment. She went to sit on the couch, pouring herself a drink.

Magnus, however, was distracted by finding one of those photo booth picture collages, the four pictures of him and Alec smiling together drawing his eyes.

"Magnus!" Madzie called.

Magnus quickly set the pictures aside to go and hug her. "Sweat pea! It's so good to see you!"

"So many Warlocks all in one place," She mused.

She ran over to join some of the others, passing a woman with a bottle in her hand that was sitting on the couch. "Don't get comfortable, kiddo," She called.

"Yo, Cat," Shu called.

"My dearest Catarina," Magnus muttered.

She chuckled as he moved behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Why so tense?"

"I just pulled a double in the E.R.," She explained. "Mundanes. Can't seem to get out of their own way, can they?"

Magnus shrugged. "You would know more than most."

She chuckled.

"Thank you so much for coming, by the way."

"Hm. Our kind only rallies for birthdays and funerals. You're not in a suit, and there's nary a cake in sight. So…what's the special occasion?"

Magnus paused. "Remember when we bottled Malta during that god-awful demon attack?"

She smiled at the memory. "What are you trying to keep out of New York?"

"It's not what. But who. Two very bad Shadowhunters who cannot leave."

"Did the Clave okay this?"

Magnus shrugged. "Suffice to say…the common ground between the Downworld and Alicante is…shifting."

She nodded, a smile taking her face. "Then it's a good thing I wear comfortable shoes."

* * *

"Wards are in place," Shu reported. "No Nephilim shall escape on this day. Even Jonathan contains angel blood. Even he cannot escape, and whether Valentine takes a Warlock captive or not, no portals can be created."

" ** _Ah! A hunt! All Warlocks, Vampires, Werewolves, and Seelies together, completely ignoring the Clave! This is what I'm talking about!_** "

" ** _Well, at least you and I can agree on_ some _things. Or maybe the alcohol is eating away at my mind faster than I thought._** "

" ** _You're a beast inside, girl, admit it!_** "

" ** _I still don't like the prospect of war, nor the fact that you broke up the best couple in this entire land! What will the fandom have to say about that?!_** "

" ** _They_ were _cute, darling, but it's more fun to see them fighting. That look of betrayal, disappointment, that look of pleading to make up for it, and the SHUT DOWN! This is like the best real life soap opera since Lilith and Sammael!_** "

" ** _You are insane._** "

" ** _But you're still smiling._** "

" ** _I've been stuck with you for thousands of years. I think I'm getting back into the groove of dealing with your bull shit._** "

" ** _A millennia since we were separated, I was banished to Edom to continue the reign of Demon Queen while you became soft. If anything, I'm a good influence you._** "

" ** _Good?_** "

"Shu, what's wrong?"

"Hm?"

"You're staring at a wall. The ward screen fell ages ago."

"Sorry. Just having a conversation with myself. You know, if the Shadowhunters were in on this too, we'd have literally all of the Shadow World working together to catch Valentine and Jonathan. That would be bad-ass, if so many of them weren't jerks.

"Well, it's not as if they're not still giving it their all. It's just they're not working directly with us. I have no doubt that they're still trying, however."

"You know, I've hated the Clave long before you, but…you shouldn't be holding such a grudge. Alexander apologized with all his heart. He has hatred only for himself at the times he messes up. In his eyes, he's the one trying to win an immortal heart. At first, it started as a Warlock looking for his next love interest out of hundreds more in the future, but somewhere along the way, it became  _him_  afraid to lose  _you_ , not the other way around. You can't hate him forever, Magnus. Because if you do, all you will do is regret for the rest of your life. There are only so many years Alexander Lightwood will be in this world. Don't waste anymore."

* * *

"Jace defeated Jonathan, but Valentine is still missing."

"Great. Well, at least half the dynamic duo is dead."

"What are you doing here, anyway? Isn't this against your pact with the Queen to be helping Shadowhunters?"

"I never made that pact. Magnus did. I told her since we're soul bonded I am bound by the same oaths as him, but those are only soul oaths which are  _complex_  to say the least, and the Seelie Queen doesn't dictate my life. Never has, never will. I like the Seelies for their cunning and deceptive way of survival-"

" ** _I taught 'em well!_** "

"-but that doesn't mean I'm always gonna ally with them, Alexander. Besides, Seelies can't lie, but they can't completely sense when  _you're_  lying. They're just…pretty good at reading expressions, tones, etc. to find out on their own."

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. "Luke and Simon need to meet me and Magnus for something. I gotta go. Oh, and Alexander? Don't give up on my brother. He's only hard-headed when he's hurt, and he only gets hurt by those he loves more than anything."

* * *

When Shu portaled in, she was just in time to hear frantic knocking at the door.

"What's going on?" Magnus asked, seeing Luke and Simon.

"Maia's gone missing," Luke explained.

"What?" Shu called.

"She disappeared from the Hunter's Moon and I think your bestie the Seelie Queen's responsible," Simon said frantically.

Magnus allowed them into the apartment. "What would the Queen want with Maia?"

"She has this… _crazy_  obsession with me because of the whole Daylighter thing. And then, she invited me to live in her court, and I said thanks, but no thanks, and then she…she threatened to hurt the people I care about."

"She also offered shelter to every Downworlder," Magnus reminded them.

"That shelter comes with a price," Luke countered. "Loyalty to the Queen. Maia wouldn't go for that. And she wouldn't desert her pack."

"Maybe she found a lead on Valentine and is off hunting him down."

"Without telling me?"

"Come on, Magnus!" Simon snapped. "We're not making this up. She's got Maia."

Magnus hesitated, swallowing and shuffling the things in his hands. "My Warlocks are on the roof, holding the wards up to keep Valentine in the city. I have to go help them. But the next time I see the Queen, I will inquire."

He quickly rushed up the steps.

"Taking on the Seelie Queen is a dangerous game," Shu said. "I've got some stuff to do as well. But if you wanna start war with the Seelies during this time of unity between the Downworld, give me a call."

* * *

" _You know, smoking isn't good for you._ "

"Healing factor of over 9,000, darling. It's not doing anything but keeping you in control. I'll admit, I've never been one for smoking."

" _I see I've done well in bringing out the worst in you._ "

Shu smacked the water where the Demon Queen's image was, causing her image to ripple, but she was obviously unaffected.

" _Well, at least we're making progress in uniting our souls. You're beginning to accept me, if only through coping mechanisms that keep you stable. If anything, you're making this easier._ "

"Easier for both of us. You and I get our souls ever closer to each other, agreeing on more and more, before the lines of Demon Queen and Asushunamir blur completely. Once there, neither of us can guarantee victory over the other."

" _Perhaps._ "

"Yet you still do this, knowing that you won't be guaranteed a win."

" _You make me whole, darling. You_ are _me. For the past millennia I've ruled over the demons, felt more empowered than ever. And yet there was always something missing, a piece of me that I was going insane without. Well, more insane than usual, anyway._ "

"But me? I went through that first 600 years because Charon was there, looking out for me. Sort of."

" _Oh, don't be daft. He didn't_ just _spend time with you to take your memories and keep you stable with his demonic aura canceling out my absence. He did it for_ love _, a stupid concept when under demonic rule, but ever a possibility. Even demons fall in love. Just like your father._ "

"Asmodeus? I wouldn't call a bunch of flings  _love_  necessarily. Liking of his children isn't really love either, since he's killed most of them off for the sake of his realm."

" _Not that father, dumb-dumb. Our_ real _father. The one even I consider a father figure."_

"Kandai? The face Charon wears?"

" _Yes. That poor sod was an ostracized Greater Demon who fell in love with an_ angel _of all creatures. Everyone warned him that angels don't love demons unconditionally. They're deceptive, only care about their own kind, and love is impossible for them. But Uncle Kan didn't listen. Fell in love with this guy…Ren_ è _e? No, no, that's not right. It was fancier than that. Ah! Ren'ai. And angel who couldn't help but fall for a demon. They even_ married _for heaven's sake, eloped and ran back to the mortal world to hide out and pretend to be humans. Honestly, what were they thinking?_ "

"I never knew Kandai was a demon, a Greater Demon, in fact. I suppose I always assumed I lived in a town in Edom where humans were brought."

" _Oh no, your mother was the only human allowed to go unpunished in Edom, at least until you were born. After that, the demons could play with her all they wanted, and she went insane, taking it out on you. But they obviously kept her alive, made sure you had somewhere to put your rage, and waited until you eventually snapped._ "

Shu probably should've felt offended, but maybe it was the cigarettes that just made her feel barely annoyed at her vulgarity and bluntness, and yet nothing more than that. Then again, her soul  _was_  coming closer to Shu's, meaning it was getting harder to distinguish the Demon Queen's feelings from hers.

When she heard a knock on the door, she waved her hand and the bathtub water disappeared. She threw her cigarette in the tray and headed over to find Magnus answering the door before her, finding Alec.

And then, without a word, Magnus moved to close the door again.

"Magnus!" Shu scolded, grabbing the door and pulling it open once more.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Shadowhunter? Is it about the demons?"

Alec sighed. "There's something you need to know, about the Queen."

"Well, if you've come to tell me that she made a deal with Valentine, I already know."

He moved to shut the door, and now Alec stopped him. "Wait. Izzy has located the rift that the demons are coming from."

"Oh, and you want us to seal it. What a surprise."

"We need a Warlock to seal one this severe."

"Duh."

"Magnus," Shu muttered, whacking him on the arm.

"Demons don't discriminate between Downworlder, Shadowhunter, mundane," Alec reminded him. "They kill them all."

"He's right, Mags. Can't just let people die and do nothing about it. Besides, our Warlocks are working hard to keep the wards up and contain the monsters within the city, but with so many, they're being strained."

Magnus hesitated, but swallowed. "We'll seal the rift. But  _not_  because of you or the Shadowhunters. Because it'll save lives."

With that, he finally closed the door.

* * *

"I just spoke with Imogen," Izzy reported. "Despite her requests, there have been no troop movements in and out of Alicante since. When she went to Malachi to see what the hold up was, she was told he'd left suddenly."

"So she believes Consul Malachi is actually a spy for Valentine?" Magnus clarified.

" ** _Ooo, spies are high up these days. They're almost as good as demons._** "

Izzy sighed. "There is no other explanation."

"Jace and Clary are in Lake Lyn with Valentine, who knows how many Circle members and no military support," Alec recapped.

"We need to go help them."

Alec sighed. "I can't leave when the city is under assault."

Izzy looked to Magnus and Shu with worry. "What have you got?" Shu asked.

"We've identified the demons as a rare sub-species as Edomei."

"Ah, Edomei."

"You're familiar with them?" Alec asked.

"They're from Edom. Tenacious little devils."

"So we've noticed," Izzy agreed.

"And remarkably intelligent, capable of creating carnage in any number of ways."

"Yet they haven't attacked once," Alec muttered. "What are they waiting for?"

"They work in hordes," Magnus said. "Perhaps they're increasing their numbers to reach a critical mass."

" ** _That's my boys!_** ** _You go cause mass destruction like bosses!_** "

"All the more reason to get this rift closed as soon as possible," Izzy concluded. "Their entry point appears to be here."

She moved her hand over the table with a satellite view of New York, pointing to a beach.

"Near Croton Point."

"How long will this take?" Alec asked. "Jace and Clary are alone in enemy territory."

"Not long," Magnus promised.

"We need to move," Izzy ordered.

* * *

They came out of the portal onto the beach that Izzy had shown them on the map.

"This is definitely the right place," Alec said, before looking down at a dark patch of sand. "What is that?"

"Blood," Izzy informed him. "Where did all the demons go?"

" ** _They sense me. They'd never dare approach their queen without permission._** "

"I'm not sure," Magnus admitted. "They just don't normally fly off into the sunset."

They walked over to a large hole leading down to a fiery hell of Edom, where all the demons were coming from.

"Well, let's not stick around until they make an appearance," Alec recommended.

"The amount of energy required to seal a rift from Edom is substantial. It's not just the flick of the wrist."

"It'll take some time, but it's entirely doable," Shu agreed.

Magnus walked to one side of the portal while Shu walked to the other.

"You gonna be okay?" Alec asked Magnus.

He shrugged. "I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

The two of them waved their hands and their magic began spreading over the portal.

" ** _Well this is rather anticlimactic. How about we spice things up a bit? Oh_ boys!**"

Two dragon Edomei could be seen as mere specs down below, but as they screeched and began ascending, everyone took notice of them.

"Uh oh," Shu muttered.

The two dragons soared up and out, one smacking Izzy back with it's wing.

"Izzy!" Alec called.

"Go! I'm all right."

"Cover me!" Magnus ordered.

Alec nodded, running past him to face the dragons while the two Warlocks began throwing their magic in ever faster and pulling the rift closed.

Alec ran up and nocked an arrow, taking aim and hitting one of the demons and disintegrating it, but the second roared and came swooping in. Alec realized the danger and began running back.

"Magnus!"

The portal was now half the size in diameter and shrinking under the magic surrounding it.

"Magnus!"

"Help him, I got this!" Shu called.

But Magnus gave a ticked off face and pushed his energy into closing the hole faster.

The dragon began firing blasts of lava and fire at Alec, which he barely managed to avoid.

"Magnus!"

Finally, Magnus turned around and used his gathered energy to fire a heavy blast of magic at the demon, throwing all his rage at Alec and the world as well as the large amount of energy he was using to close the rift into the attack.

Alec ducked as demon guts began flying around him, and Magnus went back to assisting in the final push to closing the portal. The four little demons that came out of the remains of each of the dragons began running forward to Alec, but he shot down five of them, and Izzy came in to kill the final three with her whip.

As the portal was finally sealed, Magnus fell to his knees and Shu panted, putting her hands on her knees to lean on them.

"Magnus!" Alec called, rushing up to him. "Magnus."

Magnus looked up to him. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

" ** _All Edomei stand down! You'd best take shelter before you're destroyed, because the portal is closed. No more are coming. I shall return with what you seek later, but you must take shelter else you all shall be hunted._** "

* * *

"Any word from Jace and Clary?"

"No, but they should be arriving at Lake Lyn by now," Alec said.

"Strange. The aerial sensors show no demonic activity," Izzy reported.

"Yeah, there's nothing on the ground either. It's like the Edomei completely disappeared."

"I never heard of that," Magnus said. "Once they pass through the rift, the demons are here to stay until they're properly banished."

"Then where the hell are they?"

* * *

Alec suddenly gasped in pain. He coughed, holding his hand over the side of his stomach.

"Alexander, are you okay?" Magnus asked.

Alec pulled up his shirt to reveal his parabatai rune glowing with a dark orange.

"It's…Jace - AH!"

He grunted in pain, screaming out as he fell against the table and then down to the floor. Magnus was instantly at his side as he took deep breaths and gasped, holding his hand over his rune. He pulled his shirt up to reveal that his parabatai rune was fading, and they watched it disappear before their eyes.

"I…I can't feel him. He's dead."


	28. Awaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's rushed and sloppy, but this is the final chapter until April when season 3 comes out (Yaaay!) so enjoy. The story will be marked as complete, but I'll reopen it or start a new story once all of season 3 has come out and I can get back to work again (though I might add a little extra of my own storyline in an extra chapter after this).
> 
> Until then, enjoy, review, etc., :)

Shu's eyes went white. "Raziel is awake."

"What?"

"I must go."

Before they could protest, she vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

" _It has been a thousand years since I was last summoned to this place. Why do you summon me now, Nephilim?_ "

"My Lord, Raziel, the great men and woman in the lineage of Shadowhunters, which you have created here, have failed in their mission to rid this world of demon scum."

" _I see you are impatient. What is it you ask of me?_ "

"The immediate death of all evil blooded creatures, demon and Downworlder alike, as well as the disloyal Shadowhunters who protect them."

" _The destruction of the souled creatures of the Downworld, and of our own Nephilim, that is not heaven's wish,_ " He said, but a second voice mixed with his.

Shu walked forward, her eyes changing to pure white and black. She walked across the water, her bare feet merely tapping the surface and allowing her to float above, her white dress waving in the wind with the black accents and tint flowing down. She stopped beside Raziel, and spoke with his voice.

" _But thou who spills thy blood, thou shalt compel from me, an action._ "

Valentine smiled and moved to grab his knife and cut into his palm, but Shu waved her hand and Clary's wrists were freed from the shackles Valentine had restrained her with. Raziel dimmed as Clary grabbed Valentine, throwing him away.

As he got up to fight her once more, she knocked his weapon away, and punched him in the face. She move to attack him all she could, kicking and punching with all her might, but Valentine parried her weak and predictable attacks with ease, tossing her back with just a single punch of his own.

" _I see we are forever fated to meet,_ " Raziel said.

" _I see no reason we shall ever stop,_ " Shu responded. " _I have been made by the blood of every angel and every demon in existence, and I only grow stronger. Yet I have attempted to delay the fate of such a creation that would lose control._ "

" _At the least, your quarrels are not rash and it has been a long time since you last lost your wits. You are complete._ "

" _I will never be complete. But perhaps that is a good thing._ "

"I've worked too long and sacrificed too much to let anyone stand in my way," Valentine declared, grabbing a rock while Clary was down. "Even my own daughter."

Clary looked to the side and saw Valentine's knife. Just as he was about to throw the rock her way, she rolled out of the way, snatched up the weapon, and sliced him across the neck. She stood and then stabbed him in the stomach. Her father fell to his knees, holding his neck, and she looked him in the eye before stabbing him again and again until she kicked him away.

She watched as he died, before running over to the lake, cutting her hand, and letting the blood flow down into the water.

" _Angel-blooded one,_ " Raziel and Shu said together.

"I don't want Downworlders to die," Clary said frantically. "Please, you can't let them die! I want another wish."

" _You may compel me to one action, Clarissa Morgenstern. What is it that you ask?_ "

Clary hesitated. "You know my name."

" _Concern yourself not with what I know, but rather what can be. If you have a desire, ask me now. And be wise. I will grant but one._ "

She paused, looking back to the fallen Jace. "Jace…bring Jace back, please!"

The angel said nothing, before he disappeared in a flash of light, darkening the lake to night once more.

Shu walked forward, still in her ethereal form, and kneeled beside Jace, tapping him as a small glow illuminated him and then faded away.

Clary rushed over to him while Shu took a step back. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, Jace's head slowly began to move, shifting to look up at Clary as his eyes cracked open. Clary broke out into a smile of relief, cupping his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh my god…" She muttered.

Jace looked and saw Valentine, before looking back to Clary. "What happened?"

"You're alive…" She smiled.

She helped him sit up.

"Valentine raised the angel. I used the wish to bring you back."

"You could've had anything else in the world…and you chose me."

"I don't  _want_  anything else in the world."

"Bringing people back…there's always a consequence."

"Not this time. This is a miracle. Okay? It's a gift. Granted by the angel."

"Never think you're blessed, girl," Shu warned. "Every gift from divine intervention has a cost."

She walked over and looked to the lake, while Alec, Izzy, and Magnus all arrived to find the dead Valentine.

"They're okay!" Alec called in disbelief, seeing Jace and Clary.

"Actually, they're more than okay," Izzy said.

The two of them rose to their feet.

"Jace, I…" Alec began. "I thought you were dead. Our rune…it disappeared."

"Look at it now."

Alec pulled up his shirt to reveal that it was there, as if it had never been gone. "How?"

Jace hesitated. "I don't know."

"It's over now," Shu called, her angelic demon form fading.

"Yeah," Jace agreed, moving to hug Alec in relief.

* * *

"Raziel's appearance fed me the angelic energy that I'd been lacking for the past millennia," Shu explained. "I've been living with the mundanes and the demon world for so long and avoiding Shadowhunters for the most part that I had so little left in me it made me unstable. The Demon Queen wanted to break out of Edom through me, reclaim my power and her full strength while simultaneously nullifying all the pity for angels within my heart, bring our souls to the demon side. But thanks to Raziel, I was cleansed before she could accomplish her goal. The only reason I managed to keep the Demon Queen within me and make sure I didn't go insane before he could help was because of this."

She pulled her ring from under her shirt. "Angelic power safe for demons. I never questioned it. I never needed to. Turns out, it was given from an angel to a demon as a wedding band. Over the years, it was the one and only time an angel and a demon had ever fallen in love. Seems perfect for me, really."

"I'm just glad you're doing okay. And you're not going psycho on me."

"I would  _never_  kill my own brother."

"That is debatable."

She shrugged. "Yeah, it is. But I will try my best."

"Has the evil voice inside you stopped yet?"

"She's settled down. But maybe that's because she's growing on me. She's still there, but I'll handle her."

"As long as I'm not getting the crazies from it anymore."

"Yeah. You were going all Alec on me. When he was going on his non-rule-breaking streak and being that scary dude. Before he was willing to open up to you, of course. He was afraid of who he was. You changed that about him. And you shouldn't be letting him go like this. This war is over. You still protected him from that demon even though you were angry, and the whole reason you  _were_  angry is only because you loved him and you feared he didn't love you back. I think he's proven himself. He's learned his lesson. Make up with him, okay? You'll have an eternity to regret if you don't."

Luke popped open a champagne bottle and it exploded, people laughing and backing up to avoid the drink. Everyone cheered and some raised their glasses to it, the Hunter's Moon filled to the brim with Downworlders and Shadowhunters.

"To the Downworld!" Luke shouted.

"To the Downworld!"

"To the Shadowhunters!"

"To the Shadowhunters!"

Everyone took their drinks and scattered to the party once more.

"And it seems this ordeal has finally gotten you into drinking."

"Dude, I can speed up my metabolism so that I feel none of it."

"I stand corrected," Magnus said, sipping his cocktail.

"You know, for a long time, I believed I either had to be on the demon's side or the angel's side. When I tried to stay out of it, I just got dragged back in. I was so tired of having to choose. But maybe I don't have to. Maybe the Downworld and the Shadowhunters can work together, even if the angels and demons can't. If my uncle is anything to go by, maybe they'll get there too."

"Hey," Alec said, walking over.

"Hey," Magnus said, without his anger this time.

"You look like you got your energy back."

"My go-to home remedy after a major magic-depletion: boiling hot bath, eight ounce steak - medium rare - and…a lot of these."

He took a sip of his drink.

"I can agree with that," Shu said. "Though, a little less of these and more tea would be better. But Mags does what he wants and I do what I want."

"Any sign of demons?" Magnus asked.

"None," Alec said. "Sensor maps are completely clear of wraith demons. It's the strangest thing. It's like they…"

"Disappeared into thin air?" Shu offered.

"Yeah. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"I'm handling them. They'll stay away if they know what's good for them."

"Well, then we can take this moment," Magnus said. "To celebrate."

He held up his glass and Alec clinked his beer bottle to it. Magnus drank, and Alec moved his bottle to his mouth, but stopped before he actually drank.

"Can we talk?" He asked.

Magnus hesitated, looking to Alec's face, before he nodded. "Yeah."

Alec paused, before nodding and heading to the door.

Magnus downed the rest of his drink, before Shu stole the glass. "Make up. You both deserve happiness. People like Alexander don't come around every day. Don't push him away because of one mistake."

She shoved him towards the door and walked back into the mix of people.

Magnus walked out to find Alec with his back turned a little further down the alley. He sighed and walked forward to meet him. He wasn't sure how he wanted this to go, nor could he predict what was going to happen.

"Magnus, I'm sorry," Alec said.

"Don't apologize."

"No, I should've told you about the Soul Sword."

"It's in the past."

Alec took a deep breath. "Magnus, ever since our…fights, I…I can't…I can't think straight."

Magnus shook his head, trying to keep his cool. "Well, I can't do anything without…thinking of you."

Alec stepped forward. "Magnus, I…I don't think I can live without you."

Magnus hesitated. "I-I-I thought I had to choose, between you and the Downworld…but I don't. And a wise man once told me…relationships take effort."

Alec smiled. "Yeah. Well, that was an understatement."

Magnus chuckled. "You know what's  _not_  an understatement?"

He stepped forward and kissed him.

"I'm…all into parties, but, uh…what do you say we get out of here?"

Alec nodded with a smile. "Yes."

* * *

In a cave, the demons swirled around, conglomerating into the shape of a woman.

She kneeled down to the fallen Jonathan Morgenstern.

"I brought him for you, dear Lilith. Though he looks a bit under the weather."

"Oh…" She brushed her fingers across his face. "I'm here now, son."

"I see you took the opportunity to make a statement by allowing all of your demons to be seen, only for them to disappear off the radar. The Shadowhunters will be suspicious. At the very least, my entrance was subtle. Little Shu thinks the lack of my conscious within hers is merely because of her stabilization of angel power. Fool. I think it's time to have some fun in this world."

She walked deeper into the cave in a closed off area, heaving a boulder out of the way. Inside the closed off room, two men were bound and gaged, one completely knocked out and the other jumping upon seeing her.

She smiled, her eyes slitting and her teeth sharpening. "Shall we get started, boys?"

* * *

Shu slipped outside, happy that the back alley was empty. She leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette. It wasn't so much that she was addicted to them now, she couldn't get addicted to mundane things, but it gave her something to do while she stood in the silence. She was getting used to being around larger group of people, as well as parties, but, as always, she was the one who went to stand on her own in the quiet of outside. At least if someone saw her, now she had an excuse.

"Hey."

Charon appeared in his cloud of smoke. "How are you?"

"Better."

"I'd assume the cigarettes back your case."

She blew a ring of smoke. "I'm just using them as an excuse if someone asks why I'm out here. At least I look like I'm doing something. I still don't like parties."

He smiled. "I know you don't. But I like that about you."

She smiled and they both laughed to each other.

Charon took a deep breath and stuck his hands in his pockets. "So. Can I still come visit you whenever now that you're stable?"

"It's not like I was going to be able to keep you away in any case."

He smiled. "True, but I still would've kept my distance until absolutely necessary."

Shu flicked her cigarette and then tossed it to the ground, crushing it beneath her heel. "Chare…do you think I'm still angry at you?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I mean, maybe things are still a bit awkward between us, and no longer as intimate, but it's not like you're angry anymore."

"I was just wondering why you haven't tried to reestablish the relationship we lost."

"Then I'd just sound clingy and like I'm taking advantage of you. I lied to you, I got close to you because of orders, not out of the kindness of my heart. Our entire relationship was based on lies. Even I'm not sure what's real about us anymore."

"Well, what do you say we start over? Make a new relationship without any lies. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But at least then we'll know that it was the real us that didn't work out, and not fakes that did."

"I don't know. You may be part demon, but you smell really angelic right now, after that whole Raziel thing. Anything with angel blood is destined to be the enemy of something with demon blood."

"Then you clearly haven't met my brother and his Shadowhunter boyfriend."

"They're not pure, like us. I have no mundane within me, and you have very little compared to the power of your blood now that it's grown stronger over the years. We're a lot more unstable, and you've seen how unsteady the relationship between Shadowhunters and Downworlders is already, merely half-breeds. You're making connections, but the majority still pose problems, and any alliance made is shaky."

"My uncle, the man whose face you're using, he was a Greater Demon who fell in love with an angel."

"What?"

"I know. But…my ring, the ring I got from him. Angelic power safe for demons to use."

"Something like that would've had to have been forged by an angel, since no demon would be able to utilize such angelic power without some kind of willing consent…and if a powerful angel made it specifically for a demon…and when I used it…it was specifically made for a Greater Demon's powers."

She nodded. "Yeah. So…maybe it isn't impossible for angels and demons to get along. Just really hard."

"Do you know the angel that your uncle fell in love with?"

"Ren'ai, apparently. But I've never heard of him."

"He? Man, you're surrounded by homosexuals."

"Maybe I'm secretly a guy in disguise. But in any case, it's not like genders matter to higher beings anyway. They can choose what gender they take when in physical form, and that includes you. And Magnus is bisexual, so it's just the 50/50 chance that the person he fell the hardest for so far is Alexander. My mundane blood has kept me a female for the majority of my life, being my original form that I grew up with as a default, but it's not like I can't shift yet. I've learned over the years, and patriarchal, male-dominated societies aren't encouraging. Not to mention the witch trials. Those weren't fun either."

"In any case, I hadn't even heard of your uncle back then either. I never knew a Kandai. Maybe that's because Lily was making so many demons that it was hard to keep track. But when you were made, that provoked some of the first Shadowhunters to be created. They were purposefully let into Edom in order to attack the palace and you, but we defeated the rest of them. That's when Razz made the actual Shadowhunters and decided to make them fight the demons in the mundane world, not the demon world. They got smarter about vanquishing us, but the damage was already done."

"I guess they  _were_  ostracized for falling in love. They eloped, so maybe that's why we've never heard of them, their names lost to time, maybe erased on purpose. As well as the amazing accomplishment of what they did. They fell in love, and I think it was real. Something as impossible as that…lost to history."

"So…maybe we can put it in the books again?"

"I think…maybe it's worth the try."

She reached out and took his hand, and she led him on a walk through the city.

Maybe it was just the moonlight, but Charon could've sworn there were some silver strands peeking out through her dark black hair.


	29. Repent in Leisure(ish)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took this long to continue this story. I've decided that this story will continue to however many chapters it takes to get through season 3. Anyone who's gone to 'Angels and Demons' (on Fanfic) will recognize some passages that I've put in here. 'Angels and Demons' was just an experimental thing where I threw some ideas onto the page while I waited for season 3, but now that that's out, I'll be deleting the story soon once I've transferred all the stuff I plan to keep.
> 
> For now, enjoy!
> 
> :)

"Lily, honey, you're gonna need a new look in this realm," Namir informed her.

The Mother of Demons looked like a sparky disco ball of blackness that just came out of the sea. In Edom she looked a bit more elegant, but as she had just been formed from escaped demons, she still had yet to take on a proper appearance.

The two of them had relocated to an abandoned cathedral in New York where the energy from the ley lines was strong. Lilith had double checked after they arrived, crooning over her son's corpse, sustained by a little magic. Namir was honestly getting really bored of this whole 'You'll be back soon' crap. Yeah, yeah, one of Lily's many children that she loved so much, yada, yada, yada. This was apparently one of her favorite children, but Namir wasn't jealous or anything. Jonathan got the special Edom treatment long ago, and by that point there was no reason for her to hold a grudge.

Lilith had set up an altar - specifically a sacred tomb with a pattern carved into the stone - with Jonathan Morgenstern directly underneath. He would be revived soon enough to cause all kinds of havoc, Namir couldn't wait, but it was getting boring staying cooped up and hidden from the world. She wanted pandemonium, she wanted to see the fear in her enemies' eyes, and she wanted to roam the world a little, see what had changed in the years she'd been gone.

Namir sighed and twirled a strand of her white hair, darkening with strands of black that made her look like a bit of a Cruella De Vil knockoff. She wonder how Shu was doing on the other end, her midnight black hair lightening to an angelic white. Must be painful. Angels have always been a pain, both to deal with and to be one of.

"So, can we get started already?" Namir asked.

Lilith stood from her son and nodded. "Let us begin."

* * *

Shu dreamt she was flying. When she opened her eyes, she realized that floating feeling wasn't just her dream anymore. She was literally hovering eight feet off her bed and nearly hitting the ceiling of her room.

She let out a squeak as she suddenly plummeted back down to the mattress. She landed on her stomach, raising her head from the mound of sheets and blowing a strand of hair from her face, though it all fell back into her eyes a moment later. Maybe it was just the sun, but it looked brighter than usual.

"Hey."

She swept her hair out of her face with her hand and threw it out of the way to see Charon sitting at the other and of the bed. He'd been allowed to stay over at their place while he recovered from his wound from the Soul Sword. Though she'd kicked him out while she was going psycho from her demon side going crazy, now she was doing better after Raziel's appearance and possession of her and he was invited back in while he recovered his powers.

And it wouldn't really make sense for him to have his own room, since not only was he a demon who Magnus didn't trust on his own around their apartment at night, no matter how much of a friend he was to Shu, but he needed to be looked after because of the Soul Sword wound being serious against a Greater Demon. Shu was the only one who had the power to heal a wound made by an angelic weapon against a demon.

"Have a nice night?" He asked.

"Sure, minus the whole waking up on the ceiling thing."

"Never seen that happen to you."

"I don't think it's ever happened before either."

She stood and moved to the closet to change. While she looked to the mirror to brush her hair, she realized it was brighter than usual, and there were no windows in the closet to be affecting it. Laced throughout her black locks were silver strands, only able to be seen from certain angles.

She peaked her head out. "Charon, are you seeing this too?"

"What?"

She walked over to him and held out a few strands. "My hair. I swear, it's…I don't know. It's turning grey."

He stood and walked over to run his hand through her hair and hold it up. "Huh, you're right. It feels really angelic. Maybe your bonding with Raziel left some side effects."

"Do you think it'll go back to normal?"

"You can always glamour it, but evidence says it should. Razz is one of the most powerful angels out there, but that means his effects are special, and they probably won't last forever. You should probably keep an eye on your…uh, eyes too."

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

She hurried into the bathroom where the lighting was better, flicking on the mirror light of the magnifying mirror meant to be used for make up (she'd bought one only to use for special occasions, obviously) and saw that her normally dark brown eyes were now chocolate brown. It could've just been her paranoia, but they were definitely different. She'd had thousands of years to look at her own reflection, through water and ice, to mirrors and pictures, and they were changing.

"You sure this is reversible?"

"Glamourable for now, but it should go back to normal eventually."

She sighed. "Why glamour it? I might as well accept the change while I have it, see how far it goes. If it doesn't ever get better, then I'll resort to a glamour."

"Well, it's not like it changes you too much. You're still beautiful."

"Thanks, but there will be endless aging jokes thrown my way. You can count on it."

* * *

Shu was making breakfast by hand for the boys. Magicking up food only got so interesting, and it gave her things to do when there were no clients to deal with. Besides, if she got tired of doing all the domestic stuff she could resort to magic whenever she wanted. And it was good preparation in case their magic was for some reason disabled - which had happened before.

"Hey, what's cooking?" Alec asked, him and Magnus walking out from the Warlock's room.

"Bacon and eggs," She explained.

"Whoa, did someone get highlights, or is your age finally beginning to catch up with you?" Magnus quipped.

"Well, that didn't take long," Charon muttered.

"Shut up, Magnus," Shu snapped, pointing her tongs at him. "This could happen to you at any moment if it's happening to me. Besides, you're still 20 times older than your boyfriend, so don't start judging."

"Says the one who's 20 times older than  _me_."

"Well I'm just about 20  _years_  older than you, so that still makes me the oldest person in this room," Charon interjected.

"Twenty, seriously?"

"Nah, I was just going on theme. But I'm still older than you."

"I think we've established that."

"What's up with the new look, though?" Alec jumped in.

"A side effect of Raziel's summoning," She explained, holding up some strands. "He's one of the more powerful angels, and so, after keeping my distance from angle blood for so long, my body isn't used to it, especially in such a potent form. Razz and I have had our disagreements in the past, however, as long as I stay out of trouble and don't go on a…well  _another_  vendetta against the angels, we can get along. The side effects of his angelic possession should wear off eventually. I have no doubt that it'd be pure white if not for being soul bonded to such a powerful Downworlder as well as babysat by a Greater Demon."

"Babysat?" Charon demanded.

"Yeah, babysat?" Magnus asked more skeptically.

"Watch it," She threatened. "I have kitchen utensils and I'm not afraid to use 'em."

"Trust me, I know you could make a weapon out of anything."

She flipped the bacon in the pan and cracked the eggs into the second, putting a lid over it.

"Besides, Charon's just staying until he's fully healed. I'm the only one with the skill necessary to help him heal from a Soul Sword wound."

Charon shifted in his seat. "Actually…I was gonna request to stay a little longer than that. You're father's palace isn't exactly as nice as this place. I mean, it  _is_  a palace, but the man's already angry enough at me for embarrassing him in front of Azazel."

"How did that happen?"

"I exploded after what he did to nearly break the soul bond between you and Magnus by switching him with Morgenstern."

"I take it that didn't go too well."

"He restrained me, but the thing about demons is we know our place. I won't be expected to step out of line again. I just told him that I'm looking after his children to make sure you two don't do anything too stupid, and so I'm allowed to stay as long as I want. Not that I really  _need_  a place to sleep, but immortal lives do get boring when you stay up for too long. And I  _am_  obligated to stay with you two."

"One of us more than the other, right?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah, you, since  _you're_  the weaker of the two of us," Shu said.

"But  _you've_  known him longer."

"And I have had more time to hate him."

"I'm right here, you know," Charon called.

"Sure, hate him," Magnus said, rolling his eyes.

"No bacon for you, mister."

She put the bacon on a big plate, and did the same with the eggs. She set them on the table and gave out plates.

"Eat up, boys. And believe me, Alexander, I know how to cook."

"I'll take your word for it."

* * *

"It's getting worse," Shu announced, looking into the mirror.

There were barely anymore black strands remaining in her hair, and her eyes were now pale and colorless.

"I look like I have some sort of disease."

"Nah. You look more like a female Sephiroth," Charon said.

"All I need are the Mako-enhanced blue eyes."

* * *

"Okay,  _now_  I look like a female Sephiroth."

Her eyes were a deep blue that popped like an anime character's, much more obvious than a normal blue color and almost seeming to glow. Not to mention her hair was completely silver now.

"You still look beautiful, angel."

"Thanks, but how long will this last?"

"Who knows? You smell more angelic than ever, though."

"No doubt that this would be so much worse if it wasn't for my constant exposure to darkness. I guess I'll fit right in with the Shadowhunters though."

"Right, Clary's thingy-ma-bobber is today. You know, I thought she already was a Shadowhunter and stuff."

"Ceremonies are a big thing in the Shadowhunter world. Besides, they need to congratulate her for killing Valentine - always a momentous occasion. And considering he was shanked pretty badly, there's no bringing him back without drastic measures, and no one - Downworlder, demon, Nephilim alike - would  _ever_  wanna bring back that man for any reason. At least I hope so."

"Well, have fun. And at least pretend like you're having a good time at the after-party."

"You only saying that because you want me to bring you back a souvenir?"

"Something valuable, but not electrum. That stuff is nasty."

Shu chuckled and gave him a quick kiss. "No promises."

* * *

Shu clapped as Clary got her Angelic Power rune placed on her right forearm, finally accepted as a true and fully-fledged Shadowhunter.

The party afterwards consisted of Shu pretending like she was drinking her drink and avoiding talking to most people. Other than the Scooby Doo club of Shadowhunters - as Charon had rightfully dubbed them - who she actually liked, she made sure no one talked to her and she talked to no one.

"Shu."

She looked up and smiled. "Alexander. I was hoping to see you here. You're family's basically the only one I can tolerate."

He chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. Listen, I need to talk to you about Clary."

"What about her? Other than her amazing success at slitting her father's throat and stabbing him an excessive amount of times."

"You were with her when the angel rose, right?"

"Yeah. Razz summoned me, we had a mingling moment where he sorta possessed me, and overloaded me with angelic energy, which is why I now look like Sephiroth's secret sister."

Alec's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

"Nothing, just an obscure video game reference. You were saying?"

"I just wanted to know…did something happen that Clary and Jace haven't shared with us? I…I know it's crazy, but you  _saw_  my parabatai rune disappear. Jace died, I  _know_  he did, I  _felt_  it. But he's alive and back and Jace and Clary are acting like he never died in the first place. He's here, he's alive now, but I  _swear_  that he wasn't. Clary still won't tell me anything, says that all I was feeling was Jace's stab wound and not his death, but…I  _know_  what I felt."

Shu took a deep breath and sighed. "Look, I don't know what's up with those two. A lot of my memories from what happened are a bit blurry. Imagine having an angel as powerful as Raziel hijack your brain. Those two have more than enough reason to trust you after everything that you've all been through, so if they have something to hide, it has to be really bad. Hell, they might be keeping things from you because they're worried about you. You've got a weight on your shoulders as the Head of the New York Institute, and maybe what they're hiding could get you in big trouble. Not to sound conceited, but you being a Head can get us out of trouble. Plus, you're trying to make connections to the Downworld and now you have the power to do so. We don't wanna go breaking things, not now. For a few days, can we just celebrate? We can get back to the 24/7 worrying later."

Alec sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for bothering you, always being on edge."

Shu smiled. "I like you just the way you are, Alexander. Keep being yourself. I…I hate to bring this up, but we've limited time together. What I mean to say is that I'll take both your good and your bad, because I wanna savor every moment I have. Not only could you die of old age, but you could die at any moment from Shadowhunter business. We've been through too much to lose you now, Alec. I want you to annoy me for as long as possible, you got that?"

He chuckled. "I'll do my best."

"I expect no less."

Shu left Alec to his business and went to Clary. She first gave Clary a mandatory hug.

"Congratulations. Took them long enough to give you your full Shadowhunter status."

"Thanks, Shu," Clary chuckled.

Shu sighed. "Listen, Clary. Alec knows something's up. I hate lying to him, he's already like a brother to me."

Clary nodded. "I'll talk to Jace about it, but he's adamant that even Alec finding out will just get him in trouble at the least, and I don't even wanna  _think_  about the worst case scenario."

Shu nodded. "But you know Alec. When he's determined, there's little that can stop him."

"For better or worse."

* * *

Namir waited for Lilith outside of a hospital. Namir had helped Lilith figure out a proper human form that wouldn't draw too much suspicion - giving her a proper skin tone and clothes - and informed Lilith that she should be subtle about revealing who she was.

Of course, the first place they found in the mundane world was a hospital, St. Ambrose Hospital. Shu knew someone who worked here, a nurse. Namir's memories and connection to Shu were shaky, but once she saw the location, like Deja Vu, she instinctively knew that a warlock named Caterina Loss worked here. She was a good friend of Shu's.

Lilith was in the maternity ward, obviously, looking at the newborn babies. Lilith had a thing with children after everything that happened with Adam and getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden and replaced by Eve. Namir got bored and stepped out for some fresh air, waiting until Lilith finally came out, escorted by one of the male nurses.

"I want him," Lilith declared. "He shall be the first."

"Wonderful," Namir smiled. "Let's repay him for his kindness. Tim, was it? We can get him when he leaves his workplace. There will be too many witnesses in the hospital, including a warlock. Regretfully, we'd best keep our business quiet until the time is right."

"How long must we wait?"

"Not too long. I'd wager he's been here the entire day - works the day shift. Sun's gone down, you got kicked out because visiting hours were over. It won't be long."

"Let us proceed then."

* * *

"You've never let me down, Magnus."

"Break a leg," Magnus called.

Shu sidestepped as a woman walked past her out the door. Shu smiled and nodded to her, closing the door as Alec walked into the loft beside her.

Shu pulled off her shoes. "Ugh, these stupid things. Thank the angels we portaled here because I wasn't walking  _any_  distance in these things. Was that Stella, Mags?!"

"Yup, all good!" Magnus replied from deeper in the loft.

Alec walked into the back room where Magnus had all his potions and magical equipment for clients. "Who was…that?"

"Stella Woods," Magnus explained. "A longtime client and the lead in Wicked. She lost her voice. A touch of ground ox claw, some calcified lizard's feet, and she's back on the bill."

Alec picked up something and sniffed it before wisely setting it back down again. "It's been a long time since I've seen you with a client," He remarked.

"I wanted to take her, but Magnus refused to let me make a deal," Charon sulked.

Shu chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, big bad memory demon. You'll get a snack soon enough."

He sulked and followed her back to her room in the loft.

"Well, it's frowned upon when you're the High Warlock," Magnus continued. "Potential conflicts of interest and such. But since I've been dismissed, I'm free to see whomever I want."

Alec picked up a small animal skull and examined it before turning at Magnus's words and tossing it back on the table. "Wait…' _dismissed?_ ' W-W-What happened?"

"While you were in Idris," Magnus explained from behind a shelf of potions he was sifting through. "The fallout from my decision to lend the warlocks' support to the Seelie Queen."

"I'm sorry."

Magnus walked back to his desk. "Don't be. I'm not upset. I'm actually…elated." He tossed an olive to Alec from the jar he'd grabbed that the Shadowhunter quickly caught. "Shouldering the weight of all the warlocks in Brooklyn…it gets  _exhausting_."

He walked into the living area with Alec behind him. "Well, I understand, I just…I thought this was important to you."

Magnus set a jar of olives on the platter of drinks and grabbed the cocktail flask to shake it. "What's important to me is I can start seeing clients again. Help them achieve their dream." He poured his drink. "And make a lot of money doing it."

Alec let out a small chuckle.

Magnus dropped an olive into his drink and moved to sit on the couch. "So. How was Alicante?"

Alec let out a deep sigh. "It was fine. Yeah, I, um…I was offered a position on the Council." Magnus looked up from his drink. "A Delegate, under the new consul, Jia Penhallow."

Magnus spread his arms in delight, standing from his seat. "Wow! Congratulations, Alexander." Magnus struggled to come up with words. "I'm…sure your family's proud."

Alec pursed his lips. "Actually haven't told anyone yet."

"Why?"

Alec hesitated. "Well it would mean…moving…to Idris."

Magnus shook his head. "Isn't that what you've always dreamed of?"

"I've always dreamed of meeting someone like you."

"Oh, I'd only be a portal away," Magnus shrugged.

"Well actually you wouldn't be allowed to visit. Warlocks are not allowed in Idris."

"Ah, yes. 'The Perks of Being a Downworlder.' Hmm." Magnus sipped his drink. He saw that Alec didn't smile and realized how serious this was to him. "Look. Whether you're in Idris or in New York, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you. And so's Shu. You're not gonna get away from her that easy. She'll bug you into eternity and beyond no matter where you try and run to."

That got Alec to smile.

"Now, the best martini in the world?" Magnus offered.

Alec took Magnus's glass as Magnus walked past him to the table to make another. Alec couldn't help but feel better at Magnus's attempt to cheer him up, but his smile wavered the moment the warlock wasn't looking.

* * *

"You lied to him," Shu said.

"He doesn't need to worry about me," Magnus said. "It's not like knowing the truth will change anything."

Shu wrapped her arms around Magnus from behind while he organized potions. "I know you're hurting Mags. There's no hiding it from me."

Magnus chuckled without humor. "I can't even feel you," He admitted. "I guess I'm burying more than my pain."

"I think you need to give yourself time to be upset. Bottling things up only makes them build to higher heights. We're here for you, bro."

Magnus sighed. "I'm not sure I can handle the pain if I let my guard down for even a second. In all honesty, I'm afraid to try."

"I know. But if you ever decide that you need help, you know where to find me. If Alec leaves for Idris, it's not like he can't come and visit  _you_ , even if you're not allowed to go to Idris. And why  _would_  you want to go to Idris? Alec can have his Shadowhunter business there, but your happiness together shouldn't be tainted by that place. If you're gonna be together, at least do it out in the regular world and not with those stuck up snobs who think they're better than everyone else."

Magnus let out a smirk. "Thanks, Shu."

"No prob, little brother. What are sisters for?"

"You mean beyond being an eternal pain in the ass?"

She pinched him. "Don't get cocky." She walked over to the shelf of spell books, running her hand along the spines. "I guess I don't get to be the High Warlock of Brooklynn's sister anymore."

Magnus leaned against the desk. "Yup. You're stuck being just Magnus Bane's sister."

"I wonder who they'll give the mantle in your stead."

Magnus shrugged. "No one nearly as glamourous."

Shu hugged Magnus again. "We'll get through this, Mags. At least they didn't take away your magic and lock you up on some cell."

"Always look on the bright side."

Shu patted him on the shoulder. "I'm gonna turn in. Don't stay up too late, Maggie. You need your sleep."

He nodded and she walked out of the client room. With a heavy sigh, she retreated to her room. She wanted to help Magnus get through this speed bump in life like she always had, but for some reason, she was at a loss as to what she should do. It was like, she understood everything Magnus was going through, but the solution just refused to come to her.

It frustrated her beyond measure, but for some reason, she couldn't help her brother. She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't focus on a way to cheer him up, or at least distract him. Instead, Magnus was working overtime to keep himself distracted and run from facing his pain. And Shu couldn't do a damn thing.

* * *

"He killed his mundane wife," Namir scoffed. "The Shadowhunters are probably onto us. We have to be more careful."

She wasn't sure if Lilith heard her or cared. It was hard to do anything with the woman when she had a mission. The nurse guy, Tim D-something, had come to the abandoned church that Namir and Lilith had set up for the ritual and whatnot that Lilith was planning. Lilith dubbed the place The Church of Talto, and when the mundane man arrived, Lilith proceeded to slit his throat and collect the blood on the altar.

"Wonderful," Namir drawled. "Well, I'm gonna go and tend to my own duties. Have fun with your dead mundie."

Namir walked down the halls of the old church and to the back room where she'd hidden her two prisoners. Honestly, they were the only fun she'd have while waiting for Lilith to revive her little pet son. The two men had been chained up once again when they'd reached their destination, the one in what had once been a white shirt still unconscious and the other barely able to move.

An angel and a demon.

Namir rubbed her hands together. "Shall we continue, boys? Let's see if this little angel wants to mingle with demons when I'm through with him."

Namir approached the unconscious man as her hands crackled with dark purple electricity. She launched it forward, and he instantly woke up, screaming through the pain of his rude awakening as his skin was seared, already cut and bruised from previous encounters.

"Stop!"

The chained demon threw himself forward to try and tackle Namir back. She expected the attack and smacked him away, sending him into the wall with a scream as his elbow was crushed from the force and snapped in the wrong direction.

"Ah, ah, ah," She taunted. "You shouldn't dare attack your queen. Besides, you've made him one of my subjects. I can do whatever I wish with him."

Her hands lit up once more.

"Don't! Please…I'll do what you want, just don't hurt him!"

She smiled and let her hands flicker out. "That's a good boy. We're going to play a game with little Shu. You'll get to go and meet her, though you shall take orders from me. Do as I say, and this one will be treated like a welcome guest. You'll even get to come and meet him during certain hours. Step out of line, and we'll get to see if this angel can survive the ordeals I was subject to for centuries on end."

"No, Kan," The angel muttered. "You can't…"

"I can," He declared. "But you have to promise me with a binding oath, no tricks, no traps, no loopholes or technicalities. If I do what you order, you won't hurt him in any way and I'll be allowed to see him freely within reasonable amounts of time."

"And if you don't, I'll make sure he suffers unbearable pain for the rest of eternity, while you will be able to do nothing but watch," Namir agreed. "I accept these terms to an ancient demon blood oath, unbreakable by even me."

She bit her thumb and let blood flow out, and he did the same, the two of them clasping their hands together and letting the blood mix. A circle of red light glowed and spun around the two of them, before it closed in and morphed into a series of blood-red runes circling the wrists of each of their clasped hands - his left, her right.

"The deal is made. Let us get to work, my dear Kandai."

* * *

Shu spun a knife in her fingers while lying on her bed. There was something about the rhythmic motion that worked to distract her. It made her realize how tired she was. Maybe it was just the party that got her in a bad mood. Parties still weren't her thing and left her exhausted.

"You doing okay?"

Shu wanted to punch Charon for breaking her zone that she'd gotten into, but tossed her dagger up into the air as it glowed and disappeared. "Fine. How about you?"

He flopped onto the bed. "Can't even feel the pain anymore."

"But the scar's still there."

"And healing."

Shu tossed him a silver chunk of adamas about the size of a baseball. "Souvenir."

"Awesome," Charon muttered, holding it up. "This is valuable. Where'd you swipe this?"

"Stole a couple weapons, melted 'em down."

"Nice."

Shu snuggled up next to him. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She chalked it down to her angelic state. Angels were sometimes just plain depressing, all stoic and business-like with little fun in their veins. She be back to normal soon enough, she figured.

At least, that's what she wanted to believe. Namir's voice had stopped inside her head, probably because of Razz's interference, but it still left her uneasy. For once, she wanted to hear the Demon Queen's voice just so that she knew where her counterpart was. The silence turned out to be scarier than the threat of possession. At least then she had her enemy right in front of her and knew to fight. Now, she had no idea if the Demon Queen had escaped with the rest of the Edomei, but she got a seriously bad feeling.


	30. Like Taking a Shower

"Lorenzo Rey has been waiting  _centuries_  for his day in the sun. The pompous ass  _engineered_  this whole thing."

"Why did  _that_  jerk have to get the title?" Shu muttered. "Anyone, literally  _anyone else_  would've been better than that little shit."

"I hate to see you like this," Raphael said.

"Oh, don't you worry about me, sweet boy," Magnus assured him. "What can I do for  _you?_ "

Raphael hesitated, but eventually admitted, "I need Dagget Root."

"The vampire tranquilizer?"

"Yeah. There's a new recruit at the DuMort. Let's just say his transition has been a bit rocky."

"Well…that's only a  _temporary_  solution. He's gonna have to face his fears." Magnus turned and grabbed a book he was using as a checkbook of sorts and untied the string, preparing to write something down. "Lucky for  _you_ , I am open for consultation…if they  _want_  it. For a reasonable price, of course."

"Aw, but this is Raph, Magnus," Shu said. "Can't we give him a discount?"

"No, it's…it's okay," Raphael assured him. "I think we've got it covered."

Magnus tossed the book onto the floor haphazardly and went to the cabinets, grabbing a vial and holding it out to Raphael. The vampire reached to grab it, but Magnus swatted his hand away.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Raphael shifted from foot to foot. "What are you talking about?"

Magnus flipped the vial in his hand before dropping it to his side. "We practically  _raised_  you. I can read you like an open book in all capital letters." He held up the vial again. "Who is this tranquilizer really for?"

"Is it for  _you_ , Raph?" Shu asked.

He dropped his head, but nodded.

"I thought so."

"For you?" Magnus repeated.

"Rosa's not doing so well," Raphael explained grimly.

"Your younger sister?" Shu remembered.

Raphael nodded. "And the thought of losing her…my last living relative, it's just…I…I can't sleep."

Magnus swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Raphael."

Magnus pulled his friend into a hug and then Shu took her turn afterwards. Then, Magnus handed over the vial, which Raphael took.

Raphael nodded. "Thank you."

With that, Raphael turned to leave.

Charon watched the vampire walk out of the loft, his gut telling him that there was more to this.

* * *

Lilith screamed. Very loudly. For an inordinate period of time.

"What?!" Namir shouted, coming down the hall. "What's happened?!"

"He has perished, he has burned!" Lilith snapped.

"That's what you get for letting him wander out in the open. The Shadowhunters know his face after he killed the woman and know it was supernatural. Now will you listen to me about being more subtle?"

Lilith panted with heavy breaths of rage, gripping the altar tightly. "Send out your pet project. This has merely been a delay to the inevitable. My virtuous disciples will be brought one way or another."

* * *

Charon and Alec were currently in a competition to see who could make the most  _legal_  trick shots in a game of billiards. Magnus and Shu were sort of playing, but mostly watching their dates duke it out.

"Six ball, corner pocket," Alec announced.

"Good luck with that," Magnus said, taking a drink of his martini and then setting it down.

Alec then proceeded to make the shot easily. With a sigh, Alec moved around the table to line up his next shot.

"You're a man of many talents," Magnus complimented.

"You mean that?" Alec asked, as though he thought Magnus would lie about Alec's skills.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"Well, cause you told me you were 'elated' that they replaced you as High Warlock. But I found out through the grapevine…" Alec lined up his shot. "…that you're actually pretty devastated."

"Who told you that?"

Alec took his shot but the ball barely bounced off the side of the pocket. "It doesn't matter."

Magnus looked to Shu and she nodded. " ** _I'm on it._** "

"I'm sorry, Alexander," Magnus said. "I…I guess…I just didn't want you to see me like that."

Alec shook his head gently. "You never have to pretend how you feel. Especially not with me."

Magnus nodded. "You're right. As far as we've come, I…" Magnus took a deep breath. "I suppose the art of…communication is still a work in progress?" Alec nodded and waved since it was Magnus's turn. "So…have you accepted the position on the Council?"

"Not yet. But I told Aline I'd let her know tomorrow."

Magnus had prepared to take his shot, but then stopped, pulling his pool cue back and turning it vertical to rest on the floor. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "I don't want you to move to Idris. I  _know_  it's selfish, but…it's the truth."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?"

Magnus rolled his eyes because it was obvious and walked around the table to be beside him. "Because this is  _your_  life, Alexander, and I don't want how  _I_  felt to affect your decision."

"Magnus, all I  _care_  about is how you feel. I don't wanna go to Alicante without you…but when I brought it up, you acted like…you  _wanted_  me to go."

Magnus looked to the side. "I guess I'm a better actor than I thought," He chuckled weakly.

Alec simply smiled and kissed him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Great, now hurry up and take your shot," Charon said. "I'm up after you and this is a serious game."

"Hold your chocobos, you'll win eventually," Shu smirked.

"Yeah, well we'll see about that," Alec challenged.

* * *

Kandai walked down the streets filled with humans, even at night. He arrived at the apartment he was supposed to be at, but it appeared to be unoccupied.

This was where his little girl had been living for the past few decades?

He phased through the locked doors, but instantly collapsed against the stairs. He was far from recovered and turning to mist nearly made him lose all form. He waited a few minutes until he'd stabilized before beginning his ascent up the staircase to the apartment he was looking for. The apartment wasn't hard to pick out among the rest - it was filled with magic and energy.

This time, he did the smart thing and simply waved the doors open, using less energy. The warding across the entire building was strong, but the warding in the specific apartment was stronger. Luckily Kandai still had enough energy to break through them without setting off the alarms.

He looked around for any sign of life, and while the apartment was definitely occupied, he saw no one around. He was afraid to call out and get mistaken for an intruder, but he really didn't know what to do beyond that. He decided to simply wait to be found and collapsed on the couch from exhaustion. While he was waiting, there was no harm in taking a nap, right?

* * *

Shu sighed. "Ready for this?"

"Nope," Magnus stated bluntly.

"Nada," Charon agreed.

"I'm not sure if I should be here," Alec admitted.

"Me neither," Shu conceded. "Now let's go."

They walked forward into the large ass mansion that was Lorenzo Rey's house. All around were the warlocks of Brooklyn, party music in the background and drinks passed out to the guests.

"Well…here we are," Magnus sighed.

Alec looked around and noticed that he was getting a couple odd glances. "Are you sure bringing me here was a good idea?"

"Yeah, it's better than coming by myself," Magnus muttered. He looked over and noticed Alec's concerned look and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "I'm joking. They'll love you."

"Yeah, well I'm gonna make myself scarce," Charon said. "And I'm gonna find something expensive to steal. And some memories to swipe."

Charon disappeared into the crowds and Shu sighed before following. "See you two."

Shu rushed after Charon and grabbed his arm, ordering him to behave.

"I'm still stealing this. Could be useful for a demon deal."

"To the rest of the world, you are simply a warlock, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, got it."

"Shu! Hey!"

Shu saw a sparkly warlock dressed nearly as eccentrically as Magnus - though slightly more tame by comparison - and instantly moved to hug him. "Veon, it's good to see you're doing well. How's San Francisco treating you?"

Zytaveon was a warlock that Magnus and Shu had found when he was young, hiding away from the world because of his Warlock Mark - bioluminescent green patches of scales all across his skin. He wasn't completely scaled like Lorenzo's Warlock Mark, for example, but in turn he glowed in the dark and only had the scales in random patches. Back when he was a child, he was easily mistaken for a monster and ran away to an abandoned tunnel system, often mistaken for some kind of crocodile when seen (it's where the myth that crocodiles lived in the sewers came from) until Magnus and Shu caught wind of the rumors and found him. They raised him into a civilized man, who sadly took after Magnus in the sparkly, eccentric, quirky department. He dressed as, what he believed was, Magnus done right, but they had loved him as one of their many Downworlder children/friends (Thanks to the aging thing, their children often grew into more brothers, sisters, and friends).

"Ugh, don't remind me. I've got plenty of business, but sometimes people just get  _so annoying_."

"What are you doing in New York?"

"Well, I heard about all the chaos happening and came to visit. I meant to stop by, but…well, I've been caught up in the whirlwind that was the fight against Valentine. Anyway, Cat told me about this warlock party since Mags apparently lost his position."

Shu sighed. "Yes, sadly he made a miscalculation and the Clave is none too lenient about it."

"But  _Lorenzo?_  How'd he manage to pull  _that_  off?"

"Ugh, you know that some warlocks can be  _persuasive_  when power is up for grabs."

"Well, being the High Warlock in Frisco is fun and all, but there  _are_  a few drawbacks. Still, Mag must be devastated."

She shrugged. "He's handling it how he's handling it."

"That man saved my life. I wish I could do something."

"We all wish that. Some warlocks didn't like Magnus - especially after an incident that led to a lot of our kind being killed under Magnus's protection - but though we have our immortal qualms, I think a few people at least don't want a change in power. I just hope that Lorenzo doesn't change things  _too_  much and make us all regret this. Like it or not, he's not the worst guy in existence."

"Just a  _serious_  pain in the neck."

"Cheers to that."

Veon handed her a glass and she sighed but took it. The two of them clinked their drinks together and drank.

"So, who's your date over there?"

Shu looked over to Charon, who was grabbing food to eat at the little buffet table. "He's Charon, longtime friend. Broke up a while back, trying to give it another go."

"Well, he seems nice enough. Look."

Shu saw as Charon kneeled down and talked to the little girl, Madzie, who Caterina was currently raising while Iris was imprisoned in Idris. Shu had tried vouching for Iris's sentence to be reduced for Madzie's sake, and really, what Iris did was forgivable. But Charon smiled and booped Madzie on the nose, making her giggle.

"Huh, well what do you know?"

"Didn't realize he was a kid-lover?" Veon asked.

"Never really had the chance to see. I mean, maybe he's made deals with children in the past - they have the happiest memories in their innocence, but I guess I've never seen him actually interact with a kid."

Shu smiled as she watched Charon play with Madzie…and then proceed to get her to steal some items around Lorenzo's house.

"And there he goes. Charon, stop using the girl! She's been through enough of that!" Shu rushed over with a quick goodbye to Veon. "Hello, Madzie. How've you been doing since I last saw you? Being a good little sorceress for Caterina?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm sure Alec and Magnus want to see you too. Let's go find them, shall we?"

Meanwhile Magnus and Alec were left alone, shrugging together and walking deeper into the house. Alec was looking around at every person like he had a bullseye on his back, the paranoia in his expression evident.

"Oh, just because you're the only Shadowhunter at a party full of warlocks doesn't mean you can't have fun," Magnus assured him.

"Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say," Alec muttered. "You've known these people for centuries."

"And you think that's a _good_  thing? Trust me, I don't wanna be here any longer than I have to. But…it's  _tradition_  for the outgoing High Warlock to  _pass the baton_  onto his…replacement."

Magnus nodded over to a man across the room. "Is that him?" Alec asked.

"The one and only. Lorenzo Rey, the new High Warlock of Brooklyn."

Just at that moment, Lorenzo noticed Magnus and put a hand up to wave. "Magnus! Magnus Bane."

Magnus attempted to turn away and leave, but Alec grabbed his arm and turned him around to face the warlock. Lorenzo handed each of them drinks.

"You made it, though I expected your sister to be accompanying you."

"She's here, just lost in the crowd," Magnus assured him. "You'll no doubt see her soon enough."

"I look forward to it. Of course, I see you brought a friend."

"Yes, hi, I'm-" Alec began.

"Alec Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute," Lorenzo quickly interrupted. "I expect we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other at your…Downworld Cabinet meetings."

Alec instantly had a face that said he was regretting meeting this guy already.

"No hard feelings. Right, Bane?"

"On the contrary," Magnus said. "I'm very… _content_  in my new position. Being the High Warlock is a thankless job.  _Long_  hours, little pay…but I'm sure that doesn't matter to someone as…young and civicminded as yourself."

"Oh, don't be so jaded. I may only be 484, but I'm no stranger to service. All those  _years_  working for the  _High Warlock_  in Madrid have prepared me well…" Alec nodded, pretending to seem interested until Lorenzo turned to him. "…although I may not be as easy on you as  _he_  was," He said, nodding to Magnus. "After all, I'm here to serve the warlocks, not portal you around like some glorified shuttle service."

Alec smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"In that case, I look forward to our first Cabinet meeting. Enjoy the party."

He patted them each on the shoulder before walking away.

"Who appointed  _him?_ " Alec asked.

"Nobody. There was a vote," Magnus explained. "And Lorenzo can be  _very_  charming…as long as you're into phony, no taste, egomaniacal pieces of sh-"

"Language!" Alec snapped, noticing a little girl running his way and passing Magnus his drink.

"Alec~!"

"Madzie! Hey!" He scooped her up into his arms and spun her around. "My favorite little sorceress!"

"She's awesome," Charon said, walking up with a little sandwich in his hand. "The best person at this party for sure."

"Didn't know you had a soft spot for kids," Magnus commented.

"Warlocks are family and kids are clean slates. Much more fun than adults."

"Was that Lorenzo?" Shu asked. "Is he gone?"

"Luckily," Magnus sighed.

"I can't  _believe_  you brought him just to piss Lorenzo off," Caterina said, walking up.

" _No_ ," Magnus stressed. "I brought him because he's my  _boyfriend_."

"Ah," She nodded, not buying it. She looked over to Alec, who was playing a hand game with Madzie. "Well, he's good with kids, I'll give you that." She noticed Magnus looking at his glass. "Something wrong with your drink? Mine tastes weak as hell."

"Do you feel that?" Charon asked.

Shu looked to see small ripples in her drink despite her holding purposefully very still. "A quake."

The vibrations grew to the point where the building was shaking too and all of the guests began to take notice.

Caterina began to shimmer, her glamour flickering to reveal her normally light blue skin and white hair. "I can't control my magic!"

Lorenzo held his hand up as scales formed. A good deal of the other warlocks' hands began to spark with magic and glamours began to fade.

"I'm outta here, man!" Someone shouted.

The man who'd spoken opened a portal in the center of the room which quickly turned red and began to destroy his arm, the effect creeping up the rest of his body as he screamed out.

"Rufus!" Shu shouted, but the warlock was completely consumed.

Charon held his hand out as his body began to destabilize into black smoke in patches. "Demonic magic from Edom…"

The portal of destruction that Rufus had created began to move, spreading to the nearest person: Alec. The Shadowhunter pulled Madzie behind him as Magnus and Shu waved their hands for their magic to flash to life. Their warlock marks were revealed same as everyone else's and they threw a wave of sparks, blue, red, and purple forward together, although it was difficult to aim the spells with everything that was happening. But this was Alec and Madzie, and they would not fail.

They clasped their hands together between them and summoned the power of their soul bond. With their free hands they each threw their hands forward, their power concentrating forward to their target. Suddenly, Shu's magic transformed into pure white electricity and blasted the red magic with much more force than she'd intended, destroying it with a boom that shook the house.

The warlocks stood in silence as the chaos died down and magic began to stabilize again.

Shu and Magnus took deep breaths. "Are you all right?" Shu asked, breaking the silence.

Alec nodded. "What's going on?"

Magnus's cat eyes returned to normal. "I have no idea."

* * *

"Anyone else happy that  _something_  happened to interrupt that party?" Shu asked, carrying her heels as she walked barefoot down the streets of Brooklyn with the boys. "Because I am. Parties are boring as hell if something interesting doesn't go down."

"Ugh, I feel like I just got eaten by a demon land worm," Charon muttered. "Whatever happened back there knocked my essence out of whack. I need a recharge. Be back at some point in the future."

Charon vanished in a puff of smoke and Shu sighed. "Wonder what happened there. If even a Greater Demon like Charon can be affected, it means it's gotta be bad."

"What I wanna know is how you pulled off that magic stunt," Alec said. "What you did there wasn't  _warlock_ magic, Shu. That was pure angelic energy that blasted the portal. Does it have anything to do with your transformation?"

She shook her head. "Uh…probably. My angelic powers must be off the charts, and whatever demonic thing happened back there didn't help. Let's just get home. We've got a long walk if we're not using portals."

* * *

When they arrived that night, they saw Charon lying on the couch, passed out, probably from having teleported there to rest.

"Why couldn't he have brought us along with him?" Magnus sighed.

"Just go to bed you dolt," Shu ordered. "No more magic for tonight. We'll test things out in the morning. And don't bother Charon. Waking a demon when he's in a bad mood isn't recommended for your health."

* * *

Magnus stared at his bed in the morning before snapping, the covers flipping and moving into place to look as though the bed had never been disturbed. Magnus flexed his fingers and summoned small wisps of his magic.

Alec pulled his shirt on in the bathroom after having taken a shower. "Hey, Magnus?" He came out with a towel on his shoulder and a bottle shampoo. "Your magic working okay?"

Magnus shrugged. "Totally back to normal. And since I'm not the High Warlock, whatever doesn't affect me is no longer my problem." He noticed Alec smelling the bottle in his hand and stood. "Is something…wrong with my shampoo?"

"Uh, no. It's actually… _way_  better than what I have back at the Institute. Where do you buy it?"

"I don't buy it. I brew it. It's a special blend of Indian sandalwood that I started mixing back in the…18th century."

Alec sniffed the bottle. "You  _make_  this?"

"Alexander, mixing potions is the cornerstone of the warlock arts."

"Well, I know, I just…I mean if you can…wash your hair magically, why do you go through the trouble?"

Magnus held his hands out casually. "Because I enjoy taking showers."

Alec chuckled. "Yeah, well if you're not too busy can you, ya know, brew me a bottle?"

Magnus chuckled before they both heard the sound of a knocking at the door.

"I got it!" Shu called from across the apartment.

She ran in from the kitchen where she was making breakfast and opened the door. "Lorenzo?"

"Lady Asushunamir. I don't believe we had the pleasure of speaking at my party. May I come in?"

Without waiting for a response, the warlock shoved his way past into the apartment.

"Magnus!" Shu called. "Might wanna get out here!"

Her brother came in to be just as pleased with the new High Warlock's arrival.

"What are you doing here?" Magnus demanded.

"I didn't want to give you the chance to avoid me."

"Why would we do that?" Shu asked crossing her arms. "Not that we don't  _love_  you, obviously, but is a house call really necessary?"

"Because you thought you could get away with sabotaging my party. The ley line under my home was intentionally corrupted." He glared at Magnus. "I knew you were petty. I just didn't realize you'd go this far to make me look bad."

"You saw my eyes," Magnus argued. "You saw Shu's brand and power flare. Our magic was as messed up as anyone's."

"An exposed mark proves  _nothing_. You think I don't recognize Asmodeus' handiwork when I see it?"

Magnus's face grew concerned. "We haven't seen Asmodeus in centuries."

"Yet you  _do_  know him. Far better than anyone else in this dimension."

"I know what he's capable of."

"More importantly, you know how to use his demonic magic."

"If Asmodeus  _truly_  escaped from Edom, all of New York is in danger. Asmodeus would sooner kill us than help us, and if we were to be so bold as to use his magic, we'd warrant his personal attention. Even an idiot knows not to poke that bear. Now, as High Warlock, it's your-"

Lorenzo reeled on Magnus. "My  _job_ , is to keep my people  _safe_ , Bane. And if I have to banish problematic warlocks to the lower reaches of the Spiral Labyrinth for their crimes them so be it."

"Step  _away_ , Lorenzo," Shu snapped. "You can't accuse anyone of anything without proof. All you've done is threaten me and my brother with nothing but your own personal vendetta against us to go on."

Lorenzo glared at Magnus. "I know you're behind this. And it's only a matter of time until I prove it."

"Get out," Shu demanded calmly. "Go and find your proof. But don't say we didn't warn you that you're chasing the wrong culprits. Even if you find some farce to use against us, you'll find that even when we're gone, things won't change and you'll realize you didn't get rid of the problem - you just went around chasing your own tail while we tried to warn you of your mistake."

Lorenzo bowed his head. "We shall see. I hope to speak to you again, Lady Asushunamir, perhaps on better terms."

He departed and Shu let out a deep sigh when the door closed, collapsing on the couch (considering she'd hauled Charon into her room the previous night to sleep in her bed rather than the couch). "Wonderful."

* * *

"Why would Lorenzo accuse you of working with a Greater Demon?" Alec asked. "I mean Charon's here, obviously, but he was just as affected as the rest of you. But Lorenzo was talking about  _Asmodeus_."

Magnus sighed, staring out the window. "Asmodeus has a history with our family. He's one of the few demons capable of doing something like this."

"Yeah, well we've fought Greater Demons before, but I've never seen anything like what happened at that party."

"It has to do with the ley lines," Shu speculated.

"Couldn't that mean the Seelie Queen is involved? What do demons have to do with ley lines?"

"Healthy ley lines are the energy source for all magic, Seelie and warlock alike, but they can become corrupted."

Alec nodded in understanding, but still didn't see the connection.

Magnus sighed. "Asmodeus isn't just a Greater Demon. He's the most powerful Prince of Hell. And if Lorenzo's right, what happened at the party is just the beginning."

"And…and you knew him  _personally?_ "

Magnus swallowed, hesitating. He looked at Shu and they shared a worried look together. Alec gave a shake of his head to urge them on and Shu nodded lightly before dropping her gaze.

Magnus swallowed again with a long moment of hesitation. "Asmodeus is our father."

"Nothing that we like to consider a father, but a father in some capacity," Shu continued.

Alec said nothing, his face showing his surprise as he processed that information.

Magnus looked down. "Look, I'm  _sorry_ …I never told you." He stepped towards Alec. "I was ashamed. We both were. He's nothing we like to brag about, not unless we need to use his name to help our reputation and get others off our back."

Alec shrugged. "I knew every warlock had a demon parent, it's just…Asmodeus?"

Magnus looked down.

"Well, we have to stop him."

Magnus looked up, trying to come up with words. "First…we need to track him down." Alec nodded. "And my father, he…his magic is unique."

"But if we can study the corrupted ley lines, we might be able to find the source of the corruption at the very least," Shu jumped in. "Best case scenario, we're led right to him."

Alec shifted on his feet and stood at attention like he was about to go on a mission. "What are we waiting for?"

"We need to get into Lorenzo's  _mansion_ ," Magnus explained. "And I'm afraid we'll never be able to portal through his wards without him knowing."

Alec stepped forward. "We don't  _always_  have to use magic. Like taking a shower, right?"

Magnus realized what Alec was saying and gave a skeptical look. "Breaking and entering isn't exactly like taking a shower."

Alec smiled. "Who said anything about breaking in?"

Shu smirked. "Loving you more and more by the day, Alexander."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Alec asked.

"Lorenzo hasn't exactly been subtle when it comes to his advances on me. It's well known that he at least wants a date or two. Warlocks don't exactly mate for life, but all these years of…being  _acquainted_  with each other, have shown his intentions quite clearly. At the very least, I can buy time before you switch in. This should give Magnus a good head start. Now."

She pulled out a small device from her pocket.

"Electronic communicator that'll go unnoticed by Lorenzo's magical wards. When you feel three small consecutive vibrations, knock on the door and we'll switch out. Feel one long buzz and it means abort - either Magnus has gotten what he needs or we all need to flee. The button right there will send signals to my communicator too if you need to send the abort signal. Put it in your pocket next to your phone. If Lorenzo sees or hears the buzzing, play it off like you thought you got a message but it was really nothing. Got it?"

"Why couldn't we have just used our phones?"

"Because those are much more traceable. These are wireless burners, meaning no way for Lorenzo to pick up the electronic signals and trace them, at least not until it's too late. Then, we smash them once we're done to dispose of the evidence."

"I think you're overthinking this."

"Better to overthink than to underthink. If Lorenzo becomes suspicious, play the whole heartless Shadowhunter card. If he's still not convinced, pretend that you're just latching on to the nearest High Warlock and now that Magnus isn't one, you don't care for him like some kind of egotistical jerk. It'll make him trust you a little, sadly enough. Now, take cover over there. My magic will hide you from Lorenzo's wards as long as you're not in the house itself, so don't go poking your hand into any windows."

Alec did as she said as she stuck the small communicator into the pocket of her dress (gods, she was even wearing a dress for this). She knocked on the door and it opened of its own accord with magic.

"Lady Asushunamir," Lorenzo greeted. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Look, barring the fact that you threatened my brother, I don't want us to go out on bad terms. Believe me or don't, but Asmodeus did a lot of bad things to me as a child. I wouldn't summon his power even if it meant I could save the world because that man would mess it up in a horrid way so that it'd be better of destroyed. I'm not sure about Magnus, but I would hardly summon such a beast for some petty grudge. Please, if Magnus  _is_  indeed responsible, can I do anything to persuade you to lessen his sentence? I don't wish to lose the only family I have, no matter what he's done."

Lorenzo seemed slightly distracted by Shu's outfit, which she wanted to slap him for but she managed to hold back. It might've been weird considering their age difference, but she was thousands of years older than  _him_ , and warlock ages kinda made things a little less awkward. But only just a little.

"Please, come in. I'm sure we can come to some agreement."

Shu smiled gratefully and nodded to do as he said, frowning and making a face the moment she'd walked past him and he couldn't see her doing so. She walked into the living room and sat on the couch with Lorenzo joining her.

Shu pursed her lips and mentally prepared for the sheer stupidity she was willing to go through for her brother. "Lorenzo…look I know that Magnus can be a little sensitive when it comes to this whole thing about losing his title of High Warlock, but I don't want to believe he sabotaged you."

"He's the only one capable of such magic. Please, tell me the truth, do you know if he did use such demonic powers?"

"I don't want to know, honestly," She said lightly.

He scooted closer and took her hand. "Please, my lady, if there is  _anything_  you know, I must request you tell me. It is for the safety of the warlocks of Brooklyn. Though the leadership has changed, they are still the same people you have protected all these years at Magnus's side. But if Magnus has truly allowed his jealousy to get the best of him, we must stop him before he goes too far. He might end up hurting himself and all of New York should he continue."

He wanted her to give him the proof he needed to convict Magnus, Shu knew. Both wanting to sell her act and to get away from Lorenzo's close proximity, Shu stood in a burst of rage and threw Lorenzo's hand away.

"I don't want to believe it!" She snapped, forcing tears to run down her face. "Never in a million years would he try to use that monster's power! Not after all that demon did to me! Magnus would  _never_  summon that kind of demonic presence!"

Lorenzo stood and gently placed his hands on her shoulders from behind. "I know this is a hard situation to cope with. Perhaps you can share with me your pain over a drink. I promise, it'll make you feel better."

She sniffled, seeing an opportunity. "Yes, that…that might be nice. Something strong, please."

"By your command, my lady. I know just the thing."

He patted her on the shoulder gently and then walked over to his liquor supply, sitting out in the open to be used just like how Magnus had his martinis always ready to make at a moment's notice. As Lorenzo explained stuff about drinks that she didn't care about even when Magnus was giving her a rundown, let alone this other dude, Shu carefully backed up to the window and turned the lock. Magnus, who was waiting outside, saw his cue and got into position.

Shu took her drink, the glass barely filled with her drink, and downed it in one go. She never understood why people used such oversized glasses for so little amounts of liquor.

"Well, someone's eager. Try and pace yourself. Don't want you to overdo it."

"Right, right, I'm sorry."

Lorenzo moved to refill her glass. "So, how do you know Asmodeus?"

She took her newly filled drink. "Well…it's a long story." She walked around Lorenzo so that he wasn't facing the window. "Many centuries ago, I lived on a farm with my birth mother. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy with having the child of a demon."

"Ah, the classic story of us warlocks."

' _Don't interrupt!_ ' Shu wanted to snap, but kept a straight face. "Yes, well…she tried to kill me a couple times, but I was always saved by what I thought was a guardian angel. Seeing that I couldn't die, she put me to work on the farm. I did everything, the farmwork, the chores around the house, hunting for meat, and gathering all the necessary water from the well. If I hadn't learned the small amount of magic that I had, she probably would've simply worked me to death. Anyway, I did learn a bit about magic in the little free time that I had. There were many points in time during the day where my mother wanted me out of her sight, didn't care if I ran away and never came back - she'd probably just shrug and say 'good riddance.' So I took that time to learn about my magic, without a guide of course, improvisation. There were times that I could've ran away, there were many points where I'd heavily considered it, but in the end, my mother was the only person that I could somewhat trust not to kill me, the only link I had to knowledge of the world as I grew up."

Shu found herself spilling the truth about her past and her feelings - she very rarely got to admit such things about her past and hoped she wasn't saying too much. But here came the part where she had to flat out lie.

"So as I learned and grew stronger, I got my hands on a book by accident, just trying to summon something that would help me learn more advanced magic. In that book, I found a ton of new techniques - including how to summon."

"You summoned Asmodeus," Lorenzo guessed.

Shu nodded. "You may think that sounds impossible, but it turns out that guardian angel was actually a demon who wanted me alive. I don't know what made me so special, but Asmodeus chose me, was probably the one who sent me that book so that I could learn to summon, all to play the part. I summoned him and he offered to take me away, to kill my mother so that I'd be rid of her forever. He did as he said, slaying my mother without a second thought, and then took me to his palace - or what I thought to be his palace, I mean. There, he turned on me. Did experiments, made me fight monsters, made me stronger and stronger whether I liked it or not. He said he was gonna make me as strong as he could before then taking my powers to fuel his realm."

Magnus attempted to open the doors of the window slowly as to not be heard, but Lorenzo caught the small clicking of the doors opening and turned, Magnus jumping out of sight and hoping he hadn't been seen. "Did you hear that?"

Panicking, Shu quickly moved to leave. "I'm sorry, I should go. It's clear you're not paying attention."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Lorenzo quickly said. "Please, stay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I wasn't listening. Please, go on. I won't interrupt again."

She reluctantly turned back and allowed him to guide her back into the living room as she finished off her drink once more. "Uh, do you mind opening those doors? It's a bit stuffy in here."

"Of course."

He opened the doors, luckily not seeing Magnus, while Shu went to refill her glass, filling the thing half way and taking a large sip before turning back, making sure Lorenzo was looking at her as they stood beside each other.

"So, where was I? Yes, he told me that I was to be a battery of some kind, I tried to resist him, of course, but as the days went by, the months, the years, I began to lose hope."

Magnus slipped inside as Shu struggled to come up with interesting things that would keep Lorenzo's attention.

"Then, wouldn't you believe it, of all the people to save me  _Shadowhunters_  were the ones that were indirectly responsible for my rescue. They busted into the place while Asmodeus had left me to his henchmen and stormed the place, killing all the demons. Of course, they tried to kill me too, despite being a prisoner. It was Magnus who saved me. He freed me from my bonds in the chaos, grabbed my hand, and told me to run. We managed to make it out with the Shadowhunters distracted with the demons."

Magnus hid behind the couch and popped up, waving his hands for her to go on.

She wanted to give him a middle finger for taking so long, but now that he was in the same room as Lorenzo, not ten feet away where any little sound might draw his attention, she knew she had to scramble to continue her story.

"So, you see, I can't believe that Magnus would be so horrible, even for a grudge against you."

"Well, perhaps he was pushed by more than the simple loss of his title," Lorenzo suggested, putting an arm on her shoulder.

Though Shu wanted to gag, she put her hand to her chest dramatically. "You think…he'd be so jealous? I mean, I  _suppose_  losing so much to one man would be devastating, but…"

There was a small noise from behind the couch where Magnus was, trying to sneak across the room and into the next, out of sight, and Shu wanted to elbow him so hard.

"What was that?" Lorenzo asked.

"Perhaps you have an infestation," Shu suggested.

"No, I'd never allow such a thing."

Lorenzo moved to the couch and Shu quickly slipped her hand on her pocket and clicked her communicator's button three times. Thank the angel, Alec knocked on the door not a moment too soon, just as Lorenzo was about to discover Magnus.

Lorenzo frowned and waved his hand, bringing up an image of Alec standing at the front door waiting. Lorenzo frowned and swatted the image away, heading to the door.

"Please, sit and relax. I shall deal with this."

Shu nodded innocently, downing her drink and sitting on the couch. "Idiot," She snapped quietly to Magnus.

"What was that?!" Lorenzo called.

"Nothing! Just please be quick!"

Magnus took the opportunity to sneak into the next room and then get out of range, waving his magic free to start searching the ley lines. A moment later, he waved to Shu that the source was  _in the room she was in_. She cursed under her breath. They needed to inform Alec so that they could get Lorenzo out of this room.

Lorenzo crossed his arms as the front door opened itself.

"Señor Lightwood," Lorenzo scowled. "I suppose you're here to defend Magnus Bane?"

Alec confidently spoke. "No. Actually, I'm here to defend you." That caught Lorenzo off guard. "As Head of the New York Institute it's my job to keep you safe."

"What if I can prove that Magnus is involved? Seems like you have a conflict of interest, no?"

"My interest is in stopping the person who corrupted your ley lines." Lorenzo still looked skeptical, so Alec sighed. "You have my word."

"Not a very loyal boyfriend, are you?"

"I believe in  _justice_ , Mr. Rey. Now if you don't mind, I would like to come in and take an official statement."

Lorenzo begrudgingly stepped out of the way. "But of course."

Alec walked in and Lorenzo waved the door closed.

"Oh, hello Alexander," Shu said from the couch, feigning surprise. "Should I go, Renzo?"

"No, no, stay," He said. "This shouldn't take long. You can wait in the dining room while I handle this.

Shu internally died inside but smiled. "Of course."

As Shu walked away, she gave a face and mimicked his stupid talking face. Well, at least she could steal some food without him looking, not to mention explore the house.

"You really  _believe_  that Magnus did this out of spite?" Alec began.

"Magnus Bane is the only warlock I know capable of conjuring that  _type_  of demonic magic," Lorenzo said firmly.

"Well, I assure you, if Magnus is behind this, I will turn him over to the Clave myself."

Lorenzo chuckled. "Spoken like a true Shadowhunter. The law is hard, but it is the law."

"Yes, well…" Alec looked around to see Lorenzo's set up alcoholic drinks. "…how bout a toast? To our new partnership?"

Lorenzo nodded. "An excellent idea. Scotch? Whisky?"

Alec, who had very little experience with drinks despite living and dating Magnus, simply said, "I'll have whatever you're having."

Lorenzo smiled and turned to get to work. "An old fashioned then…and I  _do_  mean old fashioned. I've been drinking this recipe for over 200 years. You're absolutely going to  _love_  it. I could conjure it but…I find mixing my hand to be the only way to achieve…" He finished off the drinks and turned back to Alec. "…perfection."

Alec took his drink with a smile and looked around the house in awe, circling around Lorenzo so that he wasn't looking towards the window. "These ceilings are spectacular. Magnus has only ever had a small apartment, but this is…magnificent."

"Thank you."

"Cheers. To our…our new…partnership."

Lorenzo nodded and held up his glass. "Cheers."

The two of them clinked glasses as peeked into the room where Alec could see him and tried to mime the message to get Lorenzo out. They both drank and Alec managed to not look disgusted by the taste of alcohol. Being with Magnus was teaching him  _something_ , for better or worse.

Lorenzo was about to turn in the direction of Magnus, but Alec jumped in again. "Perfection! Truly."

"Oh, I'm glad you like it. It's  _my_  favorite."

The two of them continued to drink, Alec looking over to Magnus carefully as he tried to express that he didn't understand what Magnus was getting at.

Meanwhile Shu opened the fridge and grabbed a pan of brownies and found a drawer with a bunch of forks. She took the opportunity to eat the fancy chocolate brownies while waiting it out for Alec to somehow get Lorenzo to move. Maybe she should try going in and helping Alec. Or she could indulge in brownies and steal another souvenir for Charon.

She shrugged and went back to her brownies. They'd figure something out.

* * *

"Such exquisite taste in fabric. You have a beautiful home," Alec continued, running out of things to say, while Lorenzo nodded agreement, liking be complimented and distracted at least. "I seem to remember that you…have an amazing…antique pot upstairs?"

"It's a 16th century Ming Vase," Lorenzo corrected. "I procured it from a Castilian trader when it was still new."

"Should've said 'Painting,'" Shu muttered from the other room. "Every rich person has paintings that they're proud of. So lucky that warlocks have vases they're proud of too. Like Magnus. What does he even have that thing?"

"Incredible craftsmanship," Alec said.

"You have an interest in ceramics?"

"I dabble." Lorenzo nodded and Shu sighed in relief that he was so gullible. "Would it be too forward of me to ask for a tour? I mean, if you're busy with Shu, I could come back another time, but-"

"Not in the least!" Lorenzo exclaimed, genuinely excited. "I can invite her to come as well. Lady Asushunamir!"

Shu sighed and threw the evidence of her snack away. "Yes, Renzo?" She asked innocently.

"Come, please join us for a tour."

"Oh, I'd  _love_  to. I wished to ask for one but didn't know how to."

"Well, you shouldn't be afraid to ask such a thing. Now Alexander can join us. Please, this way. I must show you my Faberge egg. It was a gift from the Tsar himself in the spring of 1887. Or was it 1888? Oh, I know! It was late 19th century."

"Ooo, I love those," Shu exclaimed. "I've always loved such antiques."

"I'm glad to have met a woman wish such good taste. Anyway, I was at the Romanov Easter party and Nicholas comes up to me - Nicholas! I can barely remember the color of his eyes…"

As Lorenzo led the two of them up the stairs, Magnus came out of his hiding spot and started waving his hands as his magic sparked to life, searching the room for the energy he was looking for.

* * *

Lorenzo motioned them to look at a large picture with a few people - the most notable being a woman holding a young child in the center. The artwork and style of the painting was definitely meant to mimic Christian paintings, like with Mary and Jesus.

"Does this baby look familiar?"

Alec looked completely confused and lost at the reference Lorenzo was getting at, but Shu nodded subtly in the direction of Lorenzo and tried to convey her point through her eyes: egomaniac!

"Yes," Alec said, though it didn't seem he'd gotten the point and was tricked by the design mimicking something related to Christianity.

Shu mentally sighed, but kept on her smile and dug through her memories to pretend to be fooled as well. "It's  _Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes_ ," Shu said. "El Greco. Very nice."

"Correct you are, my lady," Lorenzo smirked. "But the baby there? It's actually me." Lorenzo looked back up at the painting. "El Greco was a friend of my mother's and he used me as his inspiration."

Shu nodded. She was right - El Greco was known for a few images relating to Christ. She mentally congratulated herself on her memory, but nudged Alec and gave him a glance. She waved a finger near her temple and mouthed ' _Egomaniac,_ ' hoping he'd get the hint.

"Oh, of  _course_ ," Alec exclaimed.

Lorenzo simply laughed it off. Shu almost felt sorry for how oblivious he was. "Needless to say, growing up in Toledo during the Siglo de Oro was quite the experience."

Alec smiled and shrugged. "Needless to say."

"I'll tell you what's an experience," Shu said, drawing the attention away from the nervous and quickly fatiguing Alec. "The Gold Rush in California. It was chaos."

"Oh, I'm sure," Lorenzo chuckled.

Meanwhile Magnus had found the corrupted magic seeping through the floor of Lorenzo's living room. Magnus's magic began to flicker before he was suddenly sent flying into the wall.

Up on the second floor, there was a small thud that Alec and Shu assumed was Magnus fooling around.

"Did you hear something?" Lorenzo asked.

"No," Alec shrugged.

"It must be the aftermath of that crazy thing that happened at the party," Shu jumped. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Renzo. You must be jumping at shadows living on corrupted lay lines."

Lorenzo chuckled. "It will take more than that to scare me, my lady."

Magnus stood, seeing the damage of the ley lines in the room and waving his magic to attempt to fix it. He turned and realized the indent that he'd left in the wall after being thrown into it, waving so that it was fixed before hearing Lorenzo come down.

"I'm  _sure_  I heard something," Lorenzo declared, moving to the staircase. "You should probably stay back, Lady Asushunamir. I wouldn't wish a repeat of what happened at the party to occur."

"I will do no such thing," Shu declared. "If you're going, I'm going to. You're not exactly safe yourself, mister. Maybe just Alexander should go search for it."

While Lorenzo seemed tempted by the prospect of being alone with Shu again, he insisted on going downstairs and the two of them followed quickly. They were both preparing excuses while Shu was thinking up a way to get them all out of there, but when they reached the bottom of the staircase and the living room, they found - to Alec and Shu's relief - that it was empty of the former High Warlock and any trace that he'd been there.

Lorenzo frowned. "Strange."

Alec smiled weakly and Shu took over. "I think that we've had enough for today. We're all very stressed and need a break. You were probably just hearing the wind, Renzo. Alexander, would you do me the honor of taking me back to my loft? I believe I've had a little too much to drink. I don't hold my alcohol very well, you see…"

She stumbled slightly and grabbed Alec's arm for support.

"Are you sure I can't be of assistance?" Lorenzo asked.

"No, no, it's fine," Alec assured him, setting their glasses down on the table. "Thank you for having us."

"Perhaps we can come another time!" Shu suggested, acting as though it was a brilliant idea and she'd just had an epiphany.

"Perhaps I can make a portal for you," Lorenzo pressed.

"After Rufus went bye-bye?" Shu asked, knowing that she was proving a point while also acting drunk as all get out. "No thanks! I don't wanna go bye-bye! Bye-bye!"

She pulled Alec to the front door and he got the hint, opening it for her and waving a final farewell to Lorenzo. Once the door had closed, Shu sighed and stood straight again, releasing Alec and wiping her dress.

"Well, that was embarrassing as hell. Where's Mags?"

They circled around the house and met up with him.

"What was going on down there?" Alec demanded.

Magnus shook his head. "Whoever did this is definitely from Edom, but…judging by the energy signature…it's not our father."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

"I'm afraid not. This magic is very old and very evil. The demon responsible is as powerful as they come…unlike anything I've seen before."

"So  _worse_  than Asmodeus?"

Magnus nodded grimly. "Much worse."

Shu wiped her nose. "I smelled something, back while you were doing your thing. It was something familiar. Look, a long time ago, I lived in Edom, I know of everything and everyone that's more powerful than Asmodeus. Whatever I was sensing back there, I know that it's familiar. We can figure out which one we're looking at, I might know how to stop them. Asmodeus usually only cares about Edom and maintaining it. He doesn't care much for us or getting to this world. He likes a good bargain that makes other suffer, but beyond that, he's harmless to us. Whatever we're dealing with, what makes it dangerous is what it wants with this world, what it wants with all of us."


	31. An Angel Rises, An Angel Falls

Namir watched as more and more people were gathered for Lilith's ceremony. Once she'd gotten over the destruction of her first disciple, Lilith had thrown away her caution again. She now had four new disciples, each having murdered one of their loved ones before arriving - the more they loved their victim, the more gruesome their death. Lilith proceeded to then slit their throats and add their blood to the altar, like you do. This new group seemed to make her feel a lot better and for get that whole thing about staying secret.

Namir rolled her eyes and went back to the room with her angel. He was still chained, sitting at a small dinner table with a plate in front of him and another at the other side. His food remained uneaten since she'd given it to him.

"It seems like your boy-toy isn't going to be joining us tonight," Namir crooned. "Shame. He was  _so_  looking forward to every moment that he'd get with you. I guess he's found the outside world so much better. Maybe he's trying to run, leaving you behind."

The angel said nothing.

"I wonder, do any of the angels know about you? Do you think they even care where you are right now? When Ithuriel was captured, they did  _nothing_  to come and help him, did they? But at least  _he_  wasn't a-"

"Shut up."

Namir smiled. "Oh, so  _that's_  what gets you out of your shell."

"He won't run. He knows he can't. Because you made him make an oath."

"I didn't make him do anything. I just raised the stakes a bit to be more persuasive. But I'm a woman of my word. You'll be able to see each other freely and not an angelic hair on your head will be disturbed. Well, sort of. But our little demon has to come and visit, of course."

"What do you even want?"

She sat on the table and took a bite of the second plate's noodles, the plate that should've belonged to Kandai. "That is the question, isn't it? Working with Lilith is boring as hell and she's got her own agenda that I couldn't care less about. You'll see in due time. For now, eat up, little angel. We wouldn't want our demon to come home to see you starving - well, even  _more_  starving."

She hopped off the table and sauntered out, leaving the angel to sit alone, staring at his uneaten meal in silence once more.

* * *

"It was just a freak power surge," Shu reported to the mundanes.

"A couple of tweaks to the grid and Con Ed said it shouldn't happen again," Luke agreed.

The nurse nodded and the two of them went to join the others. Magus, Alec, and Shu had rushed over after their operation when they'd heard the news, Isabelle had come from the Institute, being the only one there since she'd taken some overtime, and Luke had come with the NYPD and the mundanes. Caterina had been attempting to help a patient that had recently come in, but her magic had flared from the corrupted ley lines just as she was doing so.

"Is Mr. Harris okay?" Cat immediately asked.

"He'll pull through," Shu assured her. "He's gonna be fine."

"And everyone  _else?_ "

Shu looked over to Magnus who wore a solemn face. "A patient upstairs, on a ventilator."

Cat's face fell. "Oh, God…it's all my fault!"

"Caterina, you had no way of knowing this would happen."

"Out of all the thing you could do as a warlock, you spend your life saving and helping mundanes, Cat," Shu agreed. "You didn't mean for this to happen, you didn't mean any harm. What's happening is beyond your control and this was far from your fault."

"This proves Lorenzo's mansion wasn't the only place affected," Alec declared. "We have to get back to the Institute."

They each nodded and went their separate ways, while Shu stayed behind and gave Cat a tight hug. "We're gonna fix this, okay? For now, you should keep your magic on the down low, maybe take a few days off. Don't worry, Cat, you'll be back to healing people in no time. We'll stop whoever's responsible, I promise."

* * *

"You're gonna use the Angelic Core? Are you serious?"

"This is our  _only_  chance to stop the corruption," Alec declared. "We're gonna flood the ley lines with angelic energy. Put an end to this, once and for all."

"So your plan is basically divine Drano?" Clary asked.

Alec had no response (probably because he didn't know what she'd just said) and waved his hand above the mission table, a holographic image of the Institute and the ley lines near it coming up. "The only problem is the Institute is not built on any ley lines. At least, not yet. That's where Magnus and Shu come in."

Shu tapped the hologram and the Institute transformed into an image of the core as the ley lines shifted to change from blue to red. "We know a spell that'll allow us to temporarily divert the flow of the magic at the core."

"Once the ley line's in place, you'll tap into the core, and we can kiss the demonic corruption goodbye," Magnus finished, swiping his hand over the hologram to turn it blue once more.

"Right, and what happens if a demon shockwave hits while you're using your magic?" Raj asked skeptically. He waved his hand over the image and the core opened as the corruption of the ley lines spread to the image once more. "The core…will be totally exposed."

The hologram core exploded before the entire thing vanished. A murmur spread throughout the Shadowhunter group with worry.

"Well, that doesn't look good," Jace stated helpfully.

Raj gave a cocky look.

"If we're lucky, it'll only vaporize the Institute," Magnus said.

"But what if we're not lucky?" Isabelle asked.

"Better not to think about that."

"This is a risk we  _have_  to take," Alec declared.

"The whole point of building the Institute  _away_  from the ley lines was to avoid something like this," Raj argued. "Why not just quarantine the warlocks outside the city?"

"Because kicking innocent people out of their homes isn't going to solve anything."

"Neither will blowing up the Institute!"

"Who do you think you are by saying those things?!" "You can't just go around quarantining Downworlders!"

Isabelle and Clary began arguing together against Raj while the other Shadowhunters began to converse in concern.

"The corrupted ley lines can't be ignored," Shu shouted firmly. "Warlocks are just a caveat to the real problem. Something out there is using  _very_  dark magic to corrupt these ley lines, and if we just pretend that this isn't happening, they're power will grow until there's no stopping it or them. Quarantining people who have no control over this situation will do nothing but mask the real problem beneath the surface."

"This isn't  _just_  about the warlocks," Alec declared. "You know what happened at the hospital.  _Everyone_  is at risk. We are under siege by a Greater Demon. It is our job to solve this problem."

To that, no one had an argument.

"Evacuate the Institute. Essential personnel stay behind."

The others all did as he commanded, Raj doing so with a skeptical face.

Shu sighed. "Let's get going."

She, Magnus, and Alec all went down to the room with the core

"You  _sure_  about this?" Magnus asked.

"You got a better idea?" Alec responded.

Magnus shrugged. "I could try it on my own. It'd be  _far_  more difficult, but at least you'll be safe."

"And let you hog all the glory?"

Magnus chuckled. "Maybe."

"We fail, anyone surviving gets to hear an 'I told you so' from Raj," Shu pointed out. "Personally, I'd rather take the dying in peace option."

Alec tapped the control panel to open the core. "As long as you're here, we're not going anywhere. Right?"

Shu nodded. "Not getting rid of us that easily, Mags."

He shrugged and removed his jacket. "Well then, let's get started."

* * *

Magnus and Shu stepped forward to the window of the core, activating their magic and throwing each hand out to start pulling the ley lines towards the large mass of energy that was the Angelic Core of the Institute.

The room began to shake with the energy gathering as they pushed the ley lines forward.

"A little further!" Alec called.

They pushed the ley lines in and the core pulsed, a high-pitched whine beginning to ring out from the strain.

"Now!" Magnus shouted.

Alec pushed a button on the control panel and a beeping could be heard. Alec started tapping the screen, but nothing was happening.

"Alexander, we can't hold it much longer. Do it now!"

"I can't! Someone's locked me out!"

The energy began to grow beyond the restraining magic that Shu and Magnus were putting into it. Shu's end started to become unstable, the ley lines snapping and pulsing with the core. Shu ended up being sent back from the force, falling on the glass floor.

"Shu, what's wrong?!" Alec shouted.

"I can't connect to the ley lines!" She realized. "My angelic state's weakening my warlock magic!"

"Alec!" Magnus shouted, now holding twice the amount of energy as before.

"I need to release the energy manually!"

"Well whatever you do, do it quickly!"

Shu stood and helped Alec pull a panel off of the wall, revealing wires and a control board that Alec started messing with. He grabbed a handle and attempted to push it up, but it barely budged.

"ALEXANDER!" Magnus called.

"We're working on it! It's rusted!"

Shu grabbed the handle and pushed, still retaining her supernatural strength despite her transformation as the handle began to move. Alec released the handle and pulled off his jacket, activating a rune on his arm before helping her thrust the lever up and into place.

A pulse surged through the room as the Angelic Core surged. Magnus pushed the ley lines into place as the energy flowed through them and then out across the entirety of New York, cleansing the ley lines throughout.

The room went white and Shu screamed. Magnus fell back from exhaustion and Alec held his arm up to avoid being blinded. When the light began to dim somewhat, he dared a glance at Shu to see that she was glowing golden, silhouettes of golden wings at her back. Her dress and shoeless state from their operation at Lorenzo's mansion added to the effect of making her look like an angel, but it was the eyes that really completed the look. Her eyes were pupil-less, shimmering like metal.

The bright light faded, the silhouette of wings too, and her eyes returned to their normal state. Shu was left panting, sitting on the glass floor in shock, looking back to normal as though nothing had happened.

Alec quickly rushed over to Magnus and helped him sit up. "I did it."

Magnus looked up despite his exhausted state. " _You_  did it?"

"Yeah!" He looked down and saw the ' _Seriously?_ ' look on Magnus's face. "Well, maybe…maybe I got a little help."

Magnus had enough energy to chuckle while Shu smiled. "Great. Does anyone wanna explain what just happened?"

* * *

Namir watched as Lilith performed her ritual, draining more blood from her disciples when the room began to shake with a surge of energy. The four humans turned as a wave of blue energy flowed through the abandoned church down the red ley lines.

Lilith threw her hands up and Namir held up her palm in a bored motion as a barrier went up to block the four disciples and the altar. The barrier warded off the cleansing of the ley lines in a small burst, candles blowing out, before the energy faded away and the church darkened to silence once more. Lilith instantly checked on the condition of the altar to find that the ley line cleansing hadn't affected it.

"What happened?" One of the disciple men asked.

"It's a minor setback," Lilith assured them quickly. "But the altar is safe. That's all that matters."

Namir took a deep breath as she felt her power humming. A red aura took over her, black silhouettes of wings forming at her back. Her eyes lost their pupils, drowned out in a murky blood red.

"You've completed us, little Shu. Well done."

* * *

Alec walked out onto the balcony with Magnus, handing him a drink as they clinked their glasses together and drank.

"Mmm," Magnus exclaimed at Alec's choice. "That's quite the drink."

"It's been quite the  _day_."

"I'm guessing Raj and his friends didn't take their banishment well?"

Alec leaned against the stone railing. "Oh, Wrangle Island isn't  _banishment_. It's more like…character building."

Magnus chuckled. "Lorenzo Rey could use a bit of  _character building_. He's been taking  _all_  the credit for fixing the ley lines."

" _Such_  an ass."

Magnus hummed in agreement.

"Whoever corrupted those ley lines is still out there. And Lorenzo has to stop blaming you for being Asmodeus'  _son_. Help us track the demon who's responsible."

Magnus swallowed. "Alexander…about my  _father_ …I hope you don't think less of me."

Alec stood straight. "Are you  _kidding?_  I don't care who your  _dad_  is. I care who  _you_  are."

Magnus turned with doubt in his eyes.

Alec reach out to cup the warlock's face. "And you're the  _furthest thing_  from a Greater Demon."

He kissed Magnus to convince him he meant his words. But a lot of people had told Magnus so over the years, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to fully believe it.

* * *

"So, have you figured out what happened yet?" Magnus asked, walking into the work room where they usually took clients where Shu was standing, staring out the window.

"I believe so, however this development has instilled worry upon my being."

"What?" Magnus asked. "You're talking like a faerie. Something wrong?"

Shu turned robotically. "My angelic transformation seems to have advanced beyond normal capacity. My demonic origins appear to be entirely absent."

She held up a fist and closed her eyes, looking like she was trying to mimic some salute and holding as still as a statue.

After a long period of time, Magnus got worried. "Uh, you okay?"

"It's not there!" She suddenly snapped. Her eyes opened and she walked up to Magnus. "The soul bond lies not with me."

"What?"

"You cannot feel its absence?"

"No! If I did, I probably would've been a lot more worried!"

Shu turned while putting a hand to her chin. "That proves it, then."

"Proves  _what?_ "

"My demonic half is out there, she has escaped, she is free. She has taken the last shards of my demonic power, and in turn, she has given me her angelic power. We are polar opposites now, far from being a single being any longer. We are split."

"Wait, so you're saying your Demon Queen half could be the one that's out there doing all this stuff with the ley lines and the possessions?"

"No, no, no. Well, yes, that is entirely feasible, but she would not be so blatant. She is intelligent, she knows when discretion is her wisest approach. This attention she has drawn is unlikely to be her doing."

"Can you connect to her in any way? Find out where she is?"

"You would be most capable of such a deed at this instance. I've broken my connections to her in my completed transformation, but you contain the soul bond - the bond to my demonic origins."

He sighed. "Well, I'm not sure that's a good idea. For all we know, she could end up possessing me because of that."

"As well as surveying our actions."

"We should tell Alexander."

"A tight leash may be put upon you should you do so."

"I promised no more secrets, no more hiding things. Come on, let's go."

* * *

As Shu passed the people within the Institute, staring at each one she passed. She saw each of them glowing slightly, a light aura of angelic energy. They were Nephilim, half-angel, half-human. Her angelic eyes were seeing their power, she realized.

"Where's Alec?" Magnus asked as they found his office empty.

Shu concentrated on the energy signatures she sensed within the Institute and seeked out the one she'd grown so fond of over time. "This way."

She led Magnus down the halls and to the weapons department where Isabelle now worked. There, Alec was standing at Izzy's desk talking about Shadowhunter stuff.

"There you are!" Magnus exclaimed. "Listen we think we figured out what happened to Shu."

"Your Institute's Angelic Core appears to have purged me of any demonic presence within my system," Shu explained. "Would I have once reverted from Raziel's interference before, now there is no reversing such a transformation. What's more, it appears that my demonic essence has transferred to the Demon Queen, a monstrosity of demonic power that may very well be the cause of the tainted ley lines. However, I know my own personality, my evil half, and I surmise she would not be so careless as to alert us of her presence before her plans are complete. We foiled a scheme by cleansing the ley lines, and these possessions are far too sloppy and draw much attention. I fear we are facing two opponents, and my counterpart is merely one. Though it is highly likely they work with separate agendas."

"On the bright side, the Core is off the ley line grid and free of demonic corruption," Magnus added.

Alec nodded, his mood already seeming down before they'd even arrived. "That's good to hear. Thank you for that information."

Alec looked down and Izzy stared at him as though urging him to share what they'd been talking about previously.

"What news do you possess in turn?" Shu asked.

"If it's not our business, we can make ourselves scarce," Magnus announced.

"We just got a fire message from mom, saying she's ' _dropping by_ ' for an impromptu ' _family dinner_ ,'" Izzy revealed using her fingers to make air quotes.

"Those are a lot of air quotes," Magnus commented.

"Mom doesn't just  _drop by_  for anything," Alec informed them.

"Yeah," Izzy agreed. "We're thinking it has to do with her and Dad. They're finally making their divorce official."

"My condolences," Shu said.

"It's for the best. Problem is, instead of just being sad like a normal person, she starts trying to fix everyone around her."

"Which usually includes grilling her children on everything she thinks is going wrong in their lives," Alec concluded.

Magnus got that thoughtful look on his face that probably suggested he was going to-

"So…where are you holding this suspenseful dinner?" He asked.

" _Definitely_  not here," Izzy stated.

"The Institute tends to bring out her inner Inquisitor," Alec explained.

There was the 'Magnus has got a dumb idea but there's no stopping him' face. Shu could recognize it even without the soul bond and her confusing emotional state as an angel.

"How about our place?"

Alec looked to Izzy and then the warlock. "Magnus, you don't have to-"

" _I_  insist. You can have the place all to yourselves."

"Wait, you should be there," Izzy suggested.

Magnus's face showed how he instantly realized his mistake and he shook his head no.

" _Think_  about it," Izzy continued. "If Magnus is there being his usual charming self…" Magnus seemed to give in to the flattery. "…Mom won't have time to interrogate us."

Alec opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't find an excuse.

"I  _am_  charming," Magnus admitted. "But Shu can come too. She's great at distracting people."

"I  _can_  come with you, yes," Shu admitted.

She was capable of attending the meal, but was he considering her current condition?

"You don't think it's too much?" Alec asked.

"'Too much' is my middle name," Magnus declared.

"I thought it was-" Shu began.

Magnus put a finger to her lips. "Shh."

Alec couldn't help but smile.

Magnus stepped forward and took Alec's hand. "Look, clearly this is important to you. Ergo…it's important to me. And Shu's never one to turn down an invite to help be an ice-breaker."

Alec chuckled and Izzy smiled knowingly at their relationship.

* * *

"I have no idea what it is, I've never seen it before," Magnus declared. "Is this an accurate drawing?"

"As accurate as Maia says she can get," Simon said. "She said it was basically this shape but blue and glowing."

"Shu! Simon's got a symbol, do you think you can ID it?"

He walked into the living room, seeing Shu staring out the window again. She was doing a lot of that recently.

"Hey, Shu."

She snapped out of her mesmerized state and looked over to him. "Yes?"

"Can you identify this symbol?"

He handed her a napkin with a crude pen drawing of what looked to be a backwards lowercase 'U'. Shu rotated the paper in her hand in an attempt to discern where she had seen the drawing before.

"Have you any symptoms of this mark?" Shu asked.

"Well…I-I mean I kinda blasted this werewolf when he tried to attack me with a bat and he's apparently no healing like he normally would," Simon admitted.

Shu tilted her head in curiosity. "Was the damage seven-fold his intended injury upon you?"

"What? H-How am I supposed to know? All I did was put my hands up to defend myself and he was suddenly thrown into a shipping container."

She reached to hold his head still and examine his forehead. She focused her vision and saw the invisible mark placed upon his skin.

"I see. You gained this mark within Faerie?"

"Uh, yeah, Seelie Queen did a ritual with a stick thing, burned it onto me."

"Raziel will be none too pleased to learn of this development."

"He…the angel's not gonna c-come down and  _smite_  me now, is he?"

"No, he'd not dare even try. Know this, Simon Lewis. None will do you harm so long as you bear this cursed mark."

With that, she turned back to the window.

"Wait, what?" Simon asked. "W-W-What do you mean  _cursed?_  I mean, it  _is_  from the Seelies and stuff, but what exactly did they  _do_  to me? Am I in any danger? Oh man…"

Shu remained silent, staring down into the city below.

"She's, uh…going through a phase," Magnus said. "Best to leave her alone. Sorry, Simon."

The vampire sighed and took his napkin and left. Magnus left his sister alone to stare out the window in peace as she watched Simon walk away from the apartment. No one was around when Shu next spoke.

" _And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a Mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him._ "

Unfortunately, no one was witness to her explanation.

* * *

"Are you sure this is  _exactly_  half a cup?" Alec asked.

"Cooking is an art, not a science," Shu said, staring out the window.

She hadn't changed from her white dress even now, the fabric hugging her upper torso over her shoulders with no sleeves down to her hips and the skirt flowing down to her knees. She remained barefoot no matter where they went (which had gotten a few odd looks back when she had visited the Shadowhunter Institute) and her hair was now completely white, almost glowing with angelic energy. Even her skin seemed to shimmer slightly after her transformation.

"If that were true, then there wouldn't be…" Alec reached over to a small card with measurements. "…instructions."

Magnus hummed in amusement, drinking from a mug while he watched Alec cook.

"Now, this is an _old_  family recipe," Alec explained. "Izzy and I found it right after my grandmother died. My mother was inconsolable…until the day we made her this stew. That was the first time that I saw her smile."

Magnus set his cup down. "Well, you're a  _sweet_  man, Alexander." He walked over and frowned, reaching up to Alec's head. "So adorable with  _radish_  in you hair."

He reached up and plucked the green stem from Alec's head with smile and set it on the table. The moment he turned back, Alec was suddenly shoving the spoon in his face and had him take a bite of the stew.

"How is that? Good?" Alec asked eagerly.

"Mmm, mm-hmm," Magnus hummed with a mouthful, nodding encouragingly.

The moment Alec smiled and walked past him, Magnus frowned as he cringed in disgust. Alec went into the next room to the sound of a phone ringing while Magnus spit out the stew into his mug and then moved to the pot.

"Oh, God…!" He muttered.

He snapped and waved his hand over the stew, his magic whooshing and fixing it up. Alec came back a moment later and Magnus quickly started stirring innocently.

"Izzy…texted," Alec reported, walking over to shove Magnus out of the way. "Out, out, out, out. She's going on mission with Clary and Jace…which means it's just me…tonight."

"Just… _us_ ," Magnus clarified. "Okay?"

There was a knock on the door and Alec tensed up. Well, tensed further. "Okay, remember, my mother's on edge and that means avoiding any sensitive subjects, like my dad, or like that I turned down that job at the Clave-"

"Or the fact that you're dating a dastardly warlock?" Shu added.

Alec sighed. "I'm sorry. Am I being  _terrible?_ "

"No, no, no," Magnus assured him. "You're just  _tense_." Magnus looked behind him at the table and grabbed a glass of wine. "Here, drink this."

Alec took the glass enthusiastically and jugged the whole thing down, handing the glass back. "I'm okay. You're okay?"

"Oh, I'm okay," Magnus said.

"Okay."

"You're okay."

Alec rushed over to the door, clearly not okay.

Shu took the glass from Magnus's hand. "It appears Alexander similarly indulges in alcohol as I do when under pressure. Come. Let us see if I can retain my social skills when in my angelic form."

They followed Alec to the front door as he opened the door to Maryse, looking nothing like the Maryse Magnus and Shu were familiar with. She didn't have her hair in a pony-tail, and it appeared she had cut it a bit so that it didn't go down to her waist. It still was pretty long, going beyond her shoulders, but still it was a notable difference. On top of that, she was wearing a maroon-colored dress, way more color than Shu was expecting from the strict Shadowhunter woman, and she was holding a bottle of wine in her left hand with her jacket on her right. Shu hardly recognized her by looks alone, but she sensed that this  _was_  Maryse Lightwood…to a certain extent…

"My boys!" She exclaimed with a giggle, opening her arms and walking in to embrace Magnus, to the warlock's surprise.

"Oh, uh…" Magnus stuttered, but Maryse had already moved on to Alec. "I'm…far from being a boy, but…I appreciate the sentiment."

"My apologies," Maryse said, handing the bottle she brought to Alec. "I should respect my elders." She giggled again and turned to Shu. "And here's my  _girl!_  Oh, sorry,  _woman_."

Shu accepted the hug from Maryse with a smile. "Hello, Maryse. I am glad you were able to visit."

"Oh, I was  _happy_  to come! Aren't you just a  _lovely_  little thing?"

"My thanks."

Maryse walked further into the apartment as Alec closed the door behind her. "Can I get you a drink?"

She turned with her arms held open. "How bout a round of Magnus's famous cocktails?"

Magnus shifted, taking the bottle from Alec. "This is your mother  _on edge?_  Hmm."

* * *

The dinner ended up going extremely well, all things considered. Though all of them had been concerned about Maryse, Magnus was easily able to make small talk, enough to make him more comfortable before he started breaking out many of his regular socializing skills without fearing Maryse's wrath or stoic demeanor. It was quickly deduced that Maryse had most likely been drunk before she had even arrived, and she was consuming ever more during the meal even if she wasn't.

Alec barely had to do any talking and even seemed slightly concerned with how well the warlock was getting along with his mother, while Shu simply smiled and watched. She was having trouble reading human emotions lately, even having trouble feeling her own. She was concerned, of course, but she found no way to resolve her dilemma. Instead, she merely took this opportunity to observe the light-hearted interactions between Magnus and a drunk Maryse.

"I'm serious," Magnus was saying. "Truman Capote was a  _total_  closet warlock.  _And_  he never knew when to leave." Maryse laughed as Magnus did his best impression in a high-pitched voice. "' _I'd like to stay here the_ entire _night drinking cognac, and regaling you all with_ all _my stories._ '"

Maryse set her glass down. "Well, you  _do_  know how to host."

"Oh, please," Magnus said in his regular voice. "Tonight…was  _all_  Alec."

" _Really?_  That stew was  _incredible_. Who knew you could  _cook?_ "

"Well, I've made that for you before," Alec said with a smile, though it almost seemed forced.

Maryse sighed in delight. "Ah, how could I forget? Alec and Isabelle made this for me when they were little kids. To see the looks on their faces when they brought it to me…it _still_  warms my heart. But that  _stew_ , I still have nightmares."

"I…I thought you  _loved_  that stew," Alec said, his face growing concerned.

"Well I do  _now!_  Whatever you've done to the recipe, it's unrecognizable!"

Alec glanced over at Magnus and he averted his gaze. "Would…anyone care for a digestif?"

"Mmm, no, thank you," Maryse hummed. "I'm probably embarrassing Alec as it is."

"Oh, we're just happy to see you in such good spirits," Shu explained.

"We thought you might be upset…"Alec began. "…what with the… _divorce_ …and everything."

Maryse fiddled with her bracelet but kept the smile on her face. "I've made my peace with that." She pursed her lips. "But your _instincts_  are right. I do have some unpleasant news. I wanted Isabelle and Jace to be here, but…you need to know."

Alec sat forward and listen intently.

Maryse took a deep breath. "In light of Malachi's coup, the Clave has reopened its investigation of former Circle members."

"You had nothing to do with Malachi," Alec declared.

"Still…based on a review of my actions in the Circle, the Clave has reclassified me a traitor."

" _What?_ " Alec snapped.

"They're stripping me of my runes. In a few days, it'll be announced that I have been exiled from Alicante."

Alec leaned forward. "This is  _completely_  unjust. You've given your  _life_  to the Clave!"

Magnus opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't figure out what. Maryse sat forward, dropping her head and slipping her hands to her neck to lean on her arms.

"I'll go and check on the desserts," Magnus said. "Shu, care to join me?"

"Yes, perhaps I will," She said.

The two of them stood and left the room.

"This is total  _hypocrisy_ ," Alec snapped. "What about the Pangborns? The Blackwells? Do they keep their positions? W-What about - What about  _Dad?_ "

"He was assigned to the LA Institute as part of a deal."

"That is  _exactly_  my point! He gets a slap on the wrist, not  _exiled!_ "

" _Please_ , don't make this harder than it already is," Maryse begged.

Alec took a moment to compose himself before sighing and rubbing his forehead. Maryse stood and walked around the table to Magnus's former seat beside Alec.

"My  _punishment_  is more severe because my _crimes_  were too." Alec looked up in interest and Maryse turned to face the table, crossing her legs. "Back in the days of the Circle, I was  _convinced_  Valentine had all the answers. I recruited  _many_  good people…including your father. And together with Valentine, I orchestrated all the bloody details of the Uprising."

Alec hesitated. "But you got out."

"Only after I knew we were doomed. Once I saw Valentine for who he really was, I couldn't believe what I had done. I  _vowed_  to devote the  _rest_  of my  _life_  to the Clave. But the charges against me  _are_  just."

Alec internally sighed, turning to face Maryse. "That's very noble of you, Mom. But if  _you're_  not going to fight this thing,  _I_  will. Even if that means stepping down from the Institute."

" _No_ ," Maryse instantly countered firmly. "Seeing what you've accomplished as Head of the Institute… _nothing_ has made me prouder. The Clave's  _always_  had its faults. My generation nearly destroyed  _everything_  in our passion to  _fix_  it.  _Yours_  will have to be  _wiser_."

Alec looked down, but didn't have an argument left in him.

* * *

"Maryse has always been a strict one," Shu said. "But that was all because she was overcompensating for her mistakes of the past."

"I never liked Maryse," Magnus admitted. "Even for Alexander, I was still hesitant about her. But now, seeing her like this…"

"How could we not see it? All the pain and regret? She was quite the actor when she had to be. To handle such fear all her life. Truly, she is admirable, a woman caught…as they say, between a rock an a hard place."

Magnus chuckled. "That's the understatement of the year."

"We must aid her. She knows little of the mundane world. Does she have an identification? Mundane currency? Where might she find a job? How will she fare for even a day among the chaotic society within New York? No, I must remedy this situation. If I cannot appeal to the Clave, I shall use my resources to assist Maryse Lightwood in her plight."

Magnus smiled. "It seems you've still retained your feelings after all. Good to know you're still in there, Shu."

* * *

"Thank you…again," Maryse said as they walked her to the door. "Tonight couldn't have been nicer."

"You are welcome any time," Shu declared.

She nodded to the siblings and turned to Alec. "And, um…I'd appreciate if you could keep our conversation between us. I'd like to tell Isabelle and Jace myself."

Alec nodded. "Of course."

She smiled and hugged her son.

"I suppose we'll be seeing more of you?" Magnus asked.

"I'd like that," Maryse agreed.

"We will never turn you away, Maryse," Shu declared. "One way or another, you are family."

Maryse smiled and relaxed, allowing Shu to give her a hug. She then turned to Magnus. "I may have had my prejudices in the past…" She looked to her son. " _…_ but seeing you stand by Alec? It's what  _every_  mother wants for her children." Magnus was taken back and at a loss for words. "Thank you, for loving my boy."

Magnus smiled and as Maryse hugged him, he happily reciprocated.

Maryse gave one final goodbye before opening the door and departing. Magnus and Alec shared a warm smile as Magnus sighed and headed back into the apartment to clean up.

* * *

Namir watched as the Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale (what the fuck was this boy's last name now?! Whatever, he was blond and a Shadowhunter) boy returned. He reported the loss of one of the girls, Lilith snapped, and then lamented the loss of her beloved son, declared she'd make Jace pay with his life for killing Jonathan, and then sent him to recover the lost disciple.

"So, can I play with him just a little before we kill him?" Namir requested. "I have a few plans that'll require that boy."

"Do as you wish, but his death will be mine to execute. I will make him pay for what he's done to my son."

* * *

"No! I've lost the connection  _again_ ," Lilith hissed.

"His love for the Morgenstern girl," Namir realized. " _That's_  what helping keep his wits.  _Love_. The nightmares aren't enough."

Lilith leaned against the altar as she thought. "Perhaps I have underestimated his care for this girl. Is your pet project awake?"

"Not yet. Poor sod's too weak to even stay conscious. I'll kick him into gear if you can't handle the Herondale."

Lilith took a few deep breaths of rage. "No, I will handle this myself. He will be back soon and he shall accomplish his task."

* * *

Shu stared at the demonically possessed woman locked in the cage. However she sensed this was no longer a simple demonic  _possession_. No, the woman would still be a mortal. Now, Shu saw nothing but a dark smog surrounding the woman, making her barely visibly to Shu's angelic eyes.

Shu put her hand to the glass and kneeled. "Who wishes for thy pure heart to darken so?"

The soundproofing on the room was still active, but Shu knew that the woman was shouting for her sister, desperate to kill her loved one. This was the 11th victim this week of what the Shadowhunters had dubbed 'The Owl' demon. But the face they'd drawn was no demon Shu knew of. It was simply a glamour. If she could've been present when this woman was possessed, if she could've met this Owl in person, she could've identified the man or woman beneath the mask.

Shu could sense the aura of demonic presence around the woman. She got a sickening feeling, a reminder of a foe she couldn't defeat but knew of well, a rage of a pointless battle to an enemy she  _knew_  the name of, but the syllables refused to form upon her tongue. The scent of demonic presence summoned a memory that refused to fully form. It seemed that with the loss of the rest of her demon half, she also lost the majority of her memories.

This was what it meant to be an angel - able to sense demonic presence, but unable to differentiate between one or the other. She could sense the stronger demons versus the weaker ones, but beyond that, all looked the same to her. Though as powerful as the very angel that created a race of Nephilim called Shadowhunters, she felt more powerless than ever. This was why the angel chose the mundane blood to make the Shadowhunters - the mundanes could learn, adapt, could separate demons from Downworlders.

Even now, her own brother began to become blurry with darkness. All Shu could see clearly were the eyes - the cat eyes of a Prince of Hell.

Shu stood straight again, turning to leave just as Alexander and Isabelle were arriving.

"You okay, Shu?"

She cringed and held her ears. Humans spoke with their voices, angels spoke with their minds. Humans were loud. "I am in good health," She reported. "I simply tire with my new state. I smell the demon the woman has been transformed by, but I cannot discern the name, the source. It frustrates me to no end. I  _know_  of the creature yet the name  _refuses_  to reveal itself to me."

Alec sighed. "Don't strain yourself. Go out and take a break, okay? Go to a restaurant or a bar or whatever you think will help clear your mind."

She nodded and entered the elevator. A place to clear her mind? Where would that be?


	32. Val

"You haven't had anything to eat or drink all day," Magnus sighed. "Do I need to force-feed you?"

Magnus handed Alec a cup, but Alec held his hand up. "No…" He hesitated and then sighed. "Look, Jace…he's my  _parabatai_. So  _I_  should be able to  _help_  him. But  _this_ , I just…I don't know  _how_."

Alec turned to look out the balcony doors again. Magnus sighed and set the cups he'd brought down. He took Alec by the arm and turned him around.

"I  _know_  you're scared. But we don't know for sure if Jace is going down as Céline." He placed his hands on Alec's shoulders comforting. "Don't lose hope."

Alec took a deep breath and put his hand to Magnus's arm. "Thank you."

With that, Alec moved to grab a book from a pile on the table, opening it and sighing as he sat down in one of the chairs.

"What's all this?" Magnus asked, grabbing his own book from the pile and flipping it open.

"I need to stop these mundane murders. But we have no idea who or  _what_  the Owl is. And…we hit a… _dead end_  on testing on Morgan." Magnus gave him a questioning look. "Digging for clues," Alec summarized.

Magnus nodded. "Not to be an overeager warlock boyfriend, but…need a hand?"

Alec looked up before shaking his head. "You help me all the time. If I came to you every time I had a problem-"

"We'll spend more time together. Ugh, the _torture_."

Alec shifted in his seat but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Magnus set his book aside. "Look, after I get some food in you, I'll come down to the Institute and examine Morgan. See if my magic can shed some light on things."

Alec set his book on the pile and stood to face the balcony again. "Thank you. But with  _this_ …I just…"

He shook his head, blinking back tears. Magnus moved behind hi and put his hands on the Shadowhunter's shoulders. "We'll make it through this."

Alec leaned into the touch and turned with a sigh as he tried to release he tension in his shoulders.

"Okay? One step at a time."

"Yeah," Alec said, but it came out only a whisper. "Yeah, I know." He smiled at Magnus. "Thank you."

Magnus caressed his cheek before patting him on the shoulder and leaving to get some food as promised. Alec's head fell once more.

* * *

Shu looked around as she walked down the streets.

She heard a humming from each of them, whispers of thoughts in their conscious minds as well as their sub-conscious. Shu tried to block it out, but even if she ignored the voices, she still felt the pain. Each person's pain, she felt it overwhelming her. There was so much  _pain_  in this world - hate, anger, loneliness, desperation, helplessness.

Shu saw a man who lived on the street, a small cup beside him requesting money. On a piece of cardboard, it read in broken handwriting that he was blind. She kneeled in front of him and put her hand on his forehead. He reached out to touch her hand, to memorize it, his way of seeing and identifying her, and she let her power seep through to help him, to take away his sorrow.

A moment later, his milky eyes cleared.

"I know it is bright, it is full of color, it is overwhelming. But let your mind relax, allow it to process sight once more."

She took the small can filled with about seven dollars' worth of money accumulated over many days.

"You will have the money you require to live once more, to start a new life. Of course, you must find a job, but you will find your passion within sound,  _music_ , a world without sight needed, left to the imagination."

She transformed the can in her hand into a simple, brown, leather wallet.

"Everything you require shall appear here. The world around you shall conform to your new life. You are blessed by an angel, but none you can see with your own eyes. It is simply a miracle. Nothing is wrong, nothing will ever be wrong for you again."

With that, she stood and walked down the street, a small weight lifted off her shoulders. She tapped the next person she passed on the forehead, sending her power through him. Argument with his wife, divorce, custody battles. The next time he saw her, both of them would make up. She tapped a woman on the shoulder, the small glow of her power activating. Carrier is falling apart, can't find a job that pays enough for the rent, is talented in writing but can't use that as a carrier until she find the money to begin. She would find a stable job, write a story, find a publisher that would help her, and become a famous author.

Shu smiled as she continued walking. Giving miracles, it brought joy to her heart, real joy that she hadn't felt for days ever since her demonic half had burned away. It was like a drug, and with all the pain she was feeling around her, she needed this reprieve, as much as she could possibly get.

"Whoa, angel, slow your roll."

Shu snapped out of her daze and blinked at a girl in front of her - a woman, rather. She looked to be in her twenties, dark black locks flowing down to her waist, blood red eyes staring at the angel. To Shu's angelic eyes, the woman looked mundane, but Shu also sensed a power from her, hidden but strong, as though there was a black hole hidden behind her that Shu felt tugging at her senses.

"Who might you be?" Shu asked warmly.

"I'm…Val. What's an angel like you down here? In the flesh?"

"I…I was here before, then suddenly there was this bright light and I was an  _angel_."

Val raised an eyebrow. "A human possessed by an angel? But the human still has control? Or are you an angel with amnesia?"

"I remember everything. I've been here for many, many, many, many years. But to cleanse the lines of ley, an orb of light exploded and I was…cleansed as well."

Val's brown scrunched in confusion. "Some friends of mine cleansed the ley lines recently. Are you…were you a Shadowhunter? That somehow got the mundane burnt out of you by accident?"

"No. At least, I don't  _believe_  so. Once, yes, I might've been called a Shadowhunter. But Shadowhunters are flawed. The dears must change should they hope to survive."

Val sighed. "Okay, you must be new at this one way or another, but you have to know that helping so many people can disrupt the balance. Only demons ever disrupt the balance, and even they make deals of equal trade - every boon has a cost. What you're doing is dangerous. For every person you help, another person is felled with the opposite luck, a curse that's been placed upon them without their knowledge, consent, and not of their own actions - something they didn't deserve."

"But…helping people makes the pain go away."

"I know. The pain is scary, it hurts, but you can't just make the pain go away without giving it to someone else."

Shu stared at the mysterious woman. "Have I aided you?"

"Not with your powers, no."

"Then why has the pain lessened? Why…can I  _breathe_  again?"

Val smiled. "I feel nothing but the pain, just like you. It's overwhelming, it's lonely, it's painful at times. But it's my nature. The only difference being that you're compelled to  _fix_  the pain you sense from others, while I must remedy my own pain by myself - resort to dealing with others, bargaining for happy memories that ease the pain just a bit. I look for joy in any place I can, even if it means I watch another's sorrow so that I might feel better about myself."

"Yet as I look to you now, I feel the pain you hold as I fix it. I am giving you my power with just our proximity, evoking my feeling of…satisfaction, euphoria. But I've done no dangerous act of aiding your situation."

She smiled. "My aura must counter yours in a healthy way. Because you're doing it right, angel. You're making the pain go away. I can…breathe again too."

Shu smiled. "I…I was told to…clear my head. A restaurant, or a bar. Some place for relaxation."

Val chuckled. "Well, a bar's usually the place to go when stressed. Seeing as neither of us can most likely get drunk, I'm not sure how well that'll pan out."

"Well, we can certainly try."

Val smiled. "I like your enthusiasm. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

Shu nodded. "Yes, I…I'd like that."

* * *

"What's happening?" Clary demanded.

"We're not sure," Magnus admitted.

"How long has the system been down?" Alec asked.

"Less than two minutes," One of the Shadowhunters men - Underhill - reported.

"Hopefully it was just a glitch," A girl - Lindsay - added.

Alec and Clary shared a worried glance before the three of them instantly knew where to go. They entered the elevator and went downstairs to the prison cells where they found the mundane-turned-demon girl, Morgan, lying still at the back of the cell. Considering the girl had gotten no rest since she'd been brought in, there was no way that she could just be sleeping for no reason.

"No…" Alec muttered.

They went to the door and into the cell. Alec flipped her over while Magnus snapped for his magic to start examining her. Suddenly, she gasped to life and sat up, pressing herself against the wall as she saw the three people standing over her. She looked around panting, confused and terrified and certainly not possessed.

"What's going on?" Clary asked.

"She's free of all demonic possession," Magnus confirmed.

Magnus let his magic fade while Clary looked back to Morgan in disbelief.

"Where am I?" Morgan demanded.

"Hey, you're okay," Alec said gently. "You're okay."

* * *

Shu snapped. "You were drugged at the party you went to, attacked in an alley before you were rescued by these nice woman. Unfortunately, you were suffering from symptoms of withdrawal. Not knowing what to do, they took you to the authorities and you were locked within a cell until you had ridden out the withdrawal and passed out. There are no holes in the story, nothing to question, nothing more to worry about."

Morgan's pupils dilated as her memories were altered.

"Any who come into contact with her shall have their memories altered to believe the same story from any perspective necessary. It need not be physical contact. Anyone of relevance within the same building with a 20 meter radius shall be affected."

"I didn't know you had a power like that, Shu," Clary commented.

"I did not before. I never knew, I never dared to know. I know how to help her, to fix her life, to make this fear go away from her.

* * *

Magnus was doing inventory alone, writing down anything that he was running low on. It was weird. Shu rarely ever left his side, and even when she did, Magnus felt her, alive and safe. Now, he suddenly felt a small bit of paranoia about where she was. Though his soul bond was still intact, he couldn't tell where Shu was.

They always took inventory together, it was twice as fast that way. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done it alone.

A moment later, he suddenly felt his sister was close. But that was impossible, her angelic half didn't have the soul bond anymore. Unless it was fixed. Or it could be her demonic half had come to wreak havoc.

But Magnus felt a burst of relief that he couldn't simply ignore with reason. He wanted to feel his sister again, he wanted to know that everything was okay. This could be a trap, but he wanted his sister back. It was almost overwhelming, he didn't know what to do.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. He went over and opened the door to find Shu, looking back to her normal self with black hair and brown eyes.  _His_  Shu, his soul-bonded sister from back when he hadn't even fully grown into his warlock ageless state. Magnus couldn't help but feel a burst of relief. She was here. It was okay.

Beside his sister was another person - a woman.

"So you're Magnus Bane," The stranger woman asked.

"Shu, who's this?" Magnus asked.

"Don't worry, Mags," Shu said firmly. "Everything's okay. This is a client who desperately needs help. You'll help, won't you?"

"Of course," Magnus smiled. "How can I help you?"

"I have a rather… _complicated_  problem, and I hear if anyone can help me…it's you."

Magnus nodded. "Come on in."

He opened the door for them and the two women walked through as Magnus closed the door behind them.

* * *

"I would've  _sworn_  I knew every warlock in this city," Magnus commented as the three of them sat at the table over tea.

"Oh, I'm not from around here," The woman said, sipping her tea.

"And how is it that you met dear Shu and heard about my services?"

She set her tea cup and saucer down gently. "A friend spoke of you both: the late Ragnor Fell?"

Magnus looked up from his drink, setting it down as well.

"I'm no slouch," The woman continued. "But…what I  _do_  need is beyond my level of expertise."

Magnus smiled. "Well, for a friend of Ragnor's…I would do just about anything." The woman smiled as Magnus stood. "So…what exactly do you need?"

The woman turned to the shelf of potions with a deep sigh and stood. "Well…I'm looking for something that could make a person…fall  _out_  of love."

Magnus looked up with surprise in his eyes.

"Is that something you could do?"

"I  _can_ …" Magnus began hesitantly. "…but I don't recommend it. You see, heartache, in all of its bittersweet torture, is almost always preferable to the alternative. My elixir would erase everything you've ever felt for the other person. It would be almost as if you've…never loved at all."

"Well…it's actually not  _for_  me," The woman clarified. "It's for a former lover. A soldier. I've tried to get him to move on, but he's still  _madly_  in love, and his  _obsession_  is starting to distract him from his duties. And…well, I worry…what could happen if he can't focus on the task at hand?"

"In the rare case, I suppose…erasing love is  _actually_  an act of  _compassion_ ," Shu stated firmly. "Don't you agree, Magnus?"

He smiled. "Of course."

He grabbed a couple ingredients and began mixing them together.

"An hour before he drinks this…you must add one last ingredient," Magnus began, adding some liquid from a dropper and a pinch of grain while the woman held her hands up, itching with anticipation. "A tiny sliver…of your soul."

The woman froze. "My  _soul?_  Why?"

"Well, you  _are_  the object of his affection. In order for the elixir to work, it must contain a trace of  _you_." She considered this information with a pensive face. "You  _do_  know how to perform an extraction, don't you?"

She smiled. "Of course."

Magnus held up a small bottle of light, sky blue liquid, sealed with a cork. He snapped and infused it with his magic before it turned a darker ocean blue. He handed it over and she took it with a smile.

" _Thank you_ , Mr. Bane. You really are a  _true_  lifesaver."

"You did well, Magnus," Shu said gently.

She nodded for the woman to leave and she smiled and did so, walking out the front door and closing it behind her. Shu sighed and took Magnus's hands.

"I miss you, brother, I truly do. But the time is not right for us to be together. Not yet."

"What are you-?"

Shu flickered for just a moment, and she was gone. Magnus suddenly felt the emptiness of her absence, a small jolt in his chest as though he'd just woken from a dream. Had she even been there in the first place? Had that other woman? No, he  _definitely_  made her the potion - his ingredients were still out of place, used up.

Had he just imagined his sister in his desperate attempt to want to feel their bond again? He missed her, he wanted to feel his sister beside him again. Though the soul bond hadn't been broken, there was still this insidious fear when he saw her yet didn't feel her, a  _pain_. He wanted her back, barging in on his life, making fun of him, finishing his sentences, revealing stuff about him to others to Magnus's dismay. He wanted her cooking, her taking over and having clients even back when he was the High Warlock of Brooklyn because ' _I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn's sister. There's nothing in the precious Shadowhunter law that says_ I _can't have clients.'_

Maybe he was hallucinating, maybe she had been a mirage he'd created unconsciously with magic. In any case, his sister was gone again, and there was nothing to be done.

* * *

Magnus smiled and grabbed a box, setting it on dresser. With a small sigh, he opened it, looking at the myriad of contents inside and placing his hand gently on them. He picked up a small trinket, wrapped with a leather cord and some beads with a dark blue feather attached at the end. He ran his fingers along the feathers gently, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips that he swallowed down.

Alec came up behind him, buttoning his shirt. "Everything okay?"

Magnus quickly dropped the trinket and closed the box lid. "Yeah! Everything is… _great_. Just tidying up a bit."

He moved to the shelf and set the box under a pile of books.

"Tidying up? Why don't you just…snap your fingers?"

"Well, I find it  _relaxing_." He chuckled lightly. "I suppose I'm odd that way."

Alec chuckled. "You're odd in a  _lot_  of ways."

Magnus noticed Alec buttoning the cuffs on his shirt. "Is that…one of  _my_  shirts?"

Alec looked down at himself. "Yeah…is it…" He held his arms out to show off the patterned blue shirt. "…not my style?"

"Or your sleeve length."

Alec flipped his hands to see that the sleeves were a couple inches too short. Magnus snapped and his magic whooshed across Alec's extended hands as the sleeves extended to the proper length.

"Better."

Alec flexed his arms with a smile and adjusted the cuff links again. "Fits perfectly. But still, I think it would be  _nicer_ …" He took a deep breath. "If I…had one of my  _own_  shirts."

"Oh, okay. I think I can manage that."

Magnus snapped and waved his hands, thinking up Alec's wardrobe, but Alec quickly interrupted. "No it's okay. I-It's _fine!_ " Magnus came to a stop and Alec held his hand out. "It's just I was thinking…that it wouldn't be an issue if I didn't have to go back and forth…so much. I mean I…spend almost every night here. So…what if I…moved in?"

Magnus's face, rather than the encouraging smile Alec was expecting, stayed in his 'I think that's a bad idea but I don't want to tell you' state.

"Bad idea?"

"No! It's…a  _wonderful_  idea." Alec waited for Magnus to give him the catch. "For the  _future_."

Alec was speechless as he shook his head and blinked. "Okay, um…you know, I just thought…"

"We've been seeing each other for less than  _two months_ ," Magnus explained. "Alexander, once we move in together, our relationship  _will_  change."

"Yeah, we'll be even  _closer_."

"There's no such thing."

Alec couldn't tell if Magnus was saying moving in would only detriment to their relationship or if he was trying to say they were already as close as they'd ever get and Magnus couldn't imagine being happier than he already was. Alec still shifted in frustration either way.

Magnus stepped forward and took Alec's hand. "If there's one thing I've learned in the…course of my long life…it's to  _take your time_ ," He stressed. "Okay?"

Alec nodded, if hesitantly, and accepted Magnus's kiss.

"Speaking of  _time_ , I…gotta go. I'm already late for a housecall. Talk to you tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah!" Magnus turned and grabbed his bag and a book. "See you then."

"See you."

As Magnus left his view, Alec's eyes were drawn to the box that Magnus had set on the bookshelf.

Magnus quickly rushed off, but passed Shu as he left. "And where have  _you_  been all night, young lady? Nevermind, I don't have time right now. But we will talk about this when I get back."

She watched as Magnus rushed away and entered the apartment with a deep sigh.

"Hey, you feeling better?" Alec asked.

"Yes. I took your advise and…cleared my mind. I feel much better. Thank you Alexander. I suppose I didn't realize how much I was changing, but…I'm all good."

Alec nodded. "Good. Ugh…look, we need to try and figure out what happened to Morgan, how it's possible that she went from more than just possessed - to being  _completely demonic_  - to being just herself again. Do you have any idea?"

Shu sighed. "Well, it's possible that the break in and Morgan's revert was an act of trying to hide whoever did this to her. The demonic energy signature, with the right person it could've been traced if Magnus had gotten to her in time, definitely. Now that Morgan's okay…"

"We've lost our only lead as to who's doing this. But why leave her alive? Why not kill her?"

"Maybe they want to pick her up again later once she's free, maybe they were more worried about the demonic energy that could be traced and were in a hurry…" Shu let out a deep sigh. "But even more people have been taken ever since Morgan. We're nearly up to 30 victims, so maybe the loss of Morgan wasn't one that they were too concerned about, just as long as she couldn't be traced while within Shadowhunter custody. Like it or not, we can't just guard every person in New York all at once. We are  _losing_  this battle. But I  _can_  say that whatever happened to Morgan had to have been an ancient spell that reacted to the specific demonic signature. If we can figure out what that spell is, we'll be prepared for when we meet her maker."

Alec nodded and looked to the bookshelves. "So, where do you wanna start?"

Shu waved and all of the books came flying out of the shelf, opening up to be read. She flicked a couple of them to return to the shelf and filtered out ones on depossession and exorcism.

"The real question is, where do  _you_  wanna start?"

* * *

"Izzy, I looked through everything Magnus has on depossession. Nothing matches Morgan's symptoms. I'm, uh…" Alec's eyes were drawn to the bookcase where the box Magnus had been looking at was placed. "I'm leaving now."

"Shall we go, Alexander?" Shu called from the front door.

"Yeah, just…you go on ahead, I wanna take another look around," Alec called.

"Okay, just make sure to put things back where you found them."

When Alec heard the door close behind her, he looked around cautiously and then leaned down to extract the box from beneath the books. He set the box down and looked around again before opening it and finding a bunch of items that he didn't recognize. What drew his attention was a photo with a note attached to it. Alec flipped to see the photo was old, with an image of Magnus standing beside another man - both looking to be dressed as soldiers from some war.

Alec flipped the picture and read the note attached, written in a fancy old-fashioned cursive. "If anything will keep me safe, it's this picture, close to my heart. All my love, George."

Alec's lip twitched in irritation.

"Hey."

Alec jumped and dropped the photo into the box. He didn't close it for fear of looking even  _more_  suspicious, and turned as calmly as he could.

"Charon, hey, you're…awake."

"Charon…right," The demon nodded. "Ugh…listen, I've been out for a while, but…do you know where Su…I mean  _Shu's_  ring is? Th-The one with the, uh, th-the angelic power to demon power ability? I-I just mean…if she's turned full angel and all…I might need it to…you know,  _survive_  her presence."

Alec nodded. "Right, right. Ugh…I'd assume the ring would be in her room or just on her person. She just…she just left for the Institute. I was about to go too. I was just finishing up here. We can go now, if you'd like. I can…get you access to the Institute."

Charon looked nervous, but seeing as Alec was trying desperately not to get caught as well, he wasn't able to notice. "No…no I'd rather stay here. I can wait for her to come back. I'm still recovering so…I might just stay and relax, take it easy. You go."

Alec nodded. "Right. I'll see you later."

Charon nodded and headed back to the room he was sharing with Shu. Alec quickly closed the box and rushed to put it back into place under the books on the shelf. Then, he hurried to the Institute.

* * *

Alec was staring out the balcony doors - something that he seemed to be fond of when he was thinking too hard - while Shu swung her legs over the arm of the couch in his office, sitting on it sideways. She was still in her angel white dress with no shoes on and no jewelry. If one didn't know any better, they might've assumed she was in her nightgown.

One of the Shadowhunters, a nice guy called Underhill, came walking into Alec's office, clearing his throat and seeing Alec's mood. "Is now not a good time, sir?"

Alec turned, composing himself. "No, it's fine. What is it?"

"I wanted to report that the main systems have been updated and rebooted."

"Great, thank you."

Alec walked over to his desk, but Underhill stayed and took a few steps nervously to convey that he had more to say.

"Is there something else?" Alec asked.

"I, uh…actually just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For paving the way for Shadowhunters like me." Alec gave a questioning look and Underhill sighed. "I've been on the front lines for over 10 years. But…I've always had to keep my private life separate." He hesitated as a Shadowhunter walked past the door in the hall, stepping deeper into the room and closer to Alec's desk to speak quietly. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I  _ever_  would've been able to come out at the Institute."

Alec shifted in realization. "Oh."

"Your…your  _courage_ …sir, it's inspiring." Alec nodded, flattered and a bit embarrassed. "I mean, here you are, in this… _committed_  relationship - with a  _warlock_  no less. It's loving and it's trusting. It's amazing."

Alec nodded with a smile, though it seemed slightly forced. "Yeah, it is."

* * *

"Ithuriel?"

"Yes, I need your help," Clary said. "I just need to talk to the angel. It's about Jace. He's been stressed out about this mental illness that his mom had that might be hereditary. He's worried that he's going crazy. It's just…if we go to the Silent Brothers and they can't fix him, they might deem him unfit for duty."

Shu shifted. "Listen, Clary. I…I'm not really on the good side of the angels. I may be pretty angelic right now, but the angels are extremely complex and strict. They don't make housecalls. They only talk to you when  _they_  want to talk to you - and trust me, that's not very often. You could end up angering them, and while Ithuriel is  _nice_  to you because of your blood, even  _he_  has his limits. From his perspective, you're the child that he was imprisoned and tortured for. At the same time, you and Jace could connect to him so he needed your help to escape. Pushing your luck is how you get smited."

Clary sighed. "This is  _really_  serious, Shu,  _please_. I can't tell you all the details, but…there  _has_  to be a way."

"When you pray to an angel, when you think their name and direct your thoughts and/or voice to them, if they're on Earth, they  _will_  hear you. When Raziel came down before, when he was summoned, it was a special case that he could only hear the ones who summoned him. People talk about Razz, say his name, think about him in all his glory, whatever, and it can get overwhelming to the angelic mind. The only people who can have stable conversations with the angels are probably the Iron Sisters - they have ways to personally talk to certain angels and certain angels alone. I can probably call out for Ithuriel, but there's little chance that he'll come down here to talk to me, and I'm not allowed in Heaven anymore. Angels telepathically communicating with other angels - just me and Ithuriel from up there to down here, we might only cause trouble for each other. Go to the Iron Sisters for help if you must, but I can't help you, I'm sorry. I wish I could, I really do, but if you want, I can take a look at Jace rather than let you go through all that trouble?"

Clary shook her head. "No, I don't want to ask you of that. You're still adjusting to this new development, you don't need this pressuring you into figuring out things too fast. You take your time. I'll…I'll talk to the Iron Sisters."

* * *

"Dumb, useless demon," Lilith hissed.

"Little crawler didn't cut it?" Namir asked. "Those ones can't process a person's scent from someone wearing their clothes. For all you know the thing took on the wrong Shadowhunter and they're in a gang of them."

Lilith stomped out to the balcony.

" _Where_  are you  _going?_ " Namir demanded.

"It appears I'll have to get my hands dirty after all."

"Lilith, that's not a-"

Lilith jumped off the balcony and transformed into a dragon Edomei and flew off.

"-good idea," Namir sighed. "Dammit. Give me the staff!"

One of Lilith's disciples walked up and handed her a faerie staff, freshly stolen from the Seelie Queen. Such a thing hadn't been seen for many centuries, not until a Daylighter had appeared and it had served a purpose again.

"Time to see if you still have it within you, Ren'ai."

* * *

"You're saying you nearly blew up your  _entire_  elementary school?" Shu laughed.

"Yes, and turned my classmates' brains to mush," Val admitted. "It's what happens when you get ticked off with demonic powers."

"So you're a new warlock to New York?"

"Yup. Been living in rural areas, you know, peace and quiet? Trying to keep myself in control, but with everything that happened during the war with Valentine…my attention was drawn."

Shu set down her beer (she couldn't taste it very well, which was completely fine with her). "This is a bit of a personal question, but…do you know your demonic parent? I've met a few demons in my time, and…your energy signature, it's… _familiar_."

Val shifted in her seat. "A memory demon. I summoned him once, long ago. He taught me how to be a warlock. Gave me some of his servants to protect me despite my protesting."

"Do you know his name?"

"Actually, he's the one that apparently named  _me_. Val - Valak Jr."

Shu blinked. " _Valak?_  You're Charon's  _daughter?_ "

"He  _did_  like being called Charon. Like that boat guy from Greek mythology. Mataecharonsan. Said it was a cool last name. I would've got with 'Mat,' but…he said someone special called him 'Charon' and it stuck."

" _I_  called him that. But…I never knew he had a daughter. I've known him since before humans were walking on two feet - my mother was the first one that the demons colonized, taught how to walk, how to dress, how to speak, how to eat, how to grow food, how to  _bathe_  that one was important-" Val giggled. "-how to write, how to work, how to  _think_ , process information at a higher level of thinking… _everything_ , basically. She thought she had been blessed by the gods, but in reality they had simply wanted her at her peak before I was born so that I'd inherit as many good traits as possible. Sorry, tangent. What I mean to say is that I've known Charon for so long that there no  _way_  I wouldn't know if he had a daughter."

"Well, Dad said that he'd gone and gotten his heart broken after he nearly hurt someone really badly and had to leave them for their own good. After that, he went about his demon-y business doing demon-y stuff, but he was crushed. So, he had a few flings before he met a guy that he liked and blessed with a child since the man was…you know, not gonna have children any time soon."

Shu scoffed and shook her head. "Should've known. He took some memories away from me a while back when I'd tried to commit suicide. He gave them back recently, but we'd parted ways for a long time. I summoned him here and there for memory deals, we were friends just like I was friends with any other demon I made deals with, but only recently did we get back together. Oh my gosh, you even look like him, I should've  _known_  that's what I was sensing. By the way, I'm currently dating him, so  _this_  is awkward, isn't it?"

Val chuckled. "Not at all. It's good to meet someone who knows my dad and learn about this famous girl that he's had…a complicated relationship with. So, where  _is_  my famous dad?"

"He's back at my apartment, passed out from this thing that happened with the ley lines."

"I…see. Well, when he wakes up, would it be too much to ask to come and visit?"

"Not at all. He's…your dad. I think it's only fair." Shu drank her drink. "So, what's it like? Being a memory demon's daughter? What's up with those servants you talked about?"

Val too a drink from her beer. "Those creepy things follow me everywhere. They're here right now. And as for being a memory demon's warlock kid, it's  _so_  much fun sometimes. You see things that other people don't see, you can choose what people remember and what they don't."

"Hopefully not in a  _bad_  way."

"Of course not. I only do what people  _want_  me to do. I take away memories of heartbreak or scary memories of the Shadow World that mundanes have sadly been witness to." Val leaned in close. "I also run a haunted house for Halloween, do magical spectacles for parties, celebrations like Christmas and New Year's, April fool's, Easter, Valentine's day, etc. I run a pretty good business for both the mundane world and the Shadow World."

"That must be fun. Me and my brother help out all kinds of people with small problems to big ones."

Val nodded to the left. "Look, you can see one of my minions. I'll show you how."

Shu looked in the direction she was referring to, but saw nothing but mundanes, certainly nothing creepy.

"Look closer, right where your vision refuses to focus, right where you don't  _want_  to look, and when you do you forget what you saw, your mind filling in the blanks because you don't feel it's very important."

Val touched Shu's shoulder and directed her attention once more. Shu focused on that blind spot, where her brain tried filling in the pieces for her, a spot so unimportant that she was almost completed averse to staring in that direction, and her perception started to shift. She now saw a creature that stood like a human, wearing a formal black suit, but it was definitely a demon. It had no eyes, a mouth like a bug's that opened to reveal rows of teeth when it hissed. Its arms and head were the only things revealed beyond its outfit, nearly blending with its black skin and hands made of three vine-like fingers that wiggled like worms. Shu heard light hissing and clicking like a growl as the creature stared at her, contemplating whether it should attack or not.

When Shu looked back to Val, the creature was gone out of her peripheral, and when she turned back, it was gone from her normal sight too.

"What…was that  _real?_ "

Val nodded. "Only those with memory demon blood can properly see them and memorize them. I could give you a temporary glimpse and allow you to keep that one memory, but beyond that, I'd need to be giving you constant interference for you to see them properly. They're some of the oldest and wisest creatures, as the moment that you look away, you forget they were there, cut out of your memory to the  _exact_  detail, and your brain fills in the rest."

"That's  _brilliant_. And they're all around?"

"The entire world, every building, every street, every house. It's a bit creepy, but from their perspective they've been doing this for a while. Humans came  _after_  them. Besides, it not like they're doing any creeping, they  _help_  humans. If humans remembered every little thing, their poor little heads would explode. The memory demons keep the Shadow World hidden, they're the source of glamours and the key to breaking  _through_  glamours. They're a bit ugly, but they're useful."

"Charon never showed them to me, but I guess that's how he gets information around. He always talked about servants, but I guess I imagined Shax demons or something smaller like that."

"He's got smaller servants, obviously, but these are just my bodyguards. Come on, there are  _so_  many things you need to know about the glamourous world of memory loss."

Val led Shu out onto the streets.

"Okay, so this is gonna sound weird, but I want you to start counting your steps aloud. One, two, three, four, etc."

"Why?"

"To see where you forget."

Shu sighed and nodded, counting her steps down the pavement (still barefoot and getting odd looks).

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…"

* * *

"47, 48, 49, 50, 56, 57, 58-"

"There!" Val exclaimed. "Back up ten steps."

Shu did so.

"Now start counting from scratch again."

"One, two, eight - whoa."

"Yup. Now, let's see…right here. This alley."

Shu got that odd intuition that she didn't really  _want_  to look in the direction Val was pointing, but she forced herself out of her comfort zone and suddenly the feeling went away as she looked down the alley.

"This is…"

"A hide out for werewolves. Down there, some werewolves take meat from a butchers and sell them around."

"Cool."

"Yup. So many times, we loose our concentration, we just  _assume_  that we did something correctly, that we followed a pattern and just don't have the memory space for every little detail. That's how memory demons are fed, we take all those memories for you so that your brains do explode. Now, there  _are_  some people who remember every detail of their life, and those ones need to be watched closely, but otherwise, we have a symbiotic relationship with mundanes, and even other creatures of the Shadow World."

"That  _so_  awesome. And you can see past all these veils."

"Yeah? I actually call it 'Mist.' Makes you blind, gives you just a  _little_  glimpse of the truth, but far from all of it."

Shu chuckled. "That's a great name."

Val smiled. "Thanks. You wanna meet up again?"

"Sure. Uh, here, you should have my contact info."

They exchanged phone numbers.

"See you when I see you," Val waved.

"Yeah," Shu agreed. "Right, see you."

Shu stared at Val as she left. At least now she knew what her odd feeling around Val was. But this certainly did complicate things. She'd have to speak to Charon about this when he woke up.

But one way or another, Shu knew that she was going to become good friends with Val.

* * *

Magnus sighed and wrapped a rubber band around some papers, tossing them aside, while documenting things in his notebook.

Alec walked in. "I tried calling."

"I've been busy."

Alec hesitated and sighed. "Magnus, I did something I'm not proud of."

"You're referring to going through that box?" Magnus said calmly, setting his pen down and standing.

Alec shifted in confusion while Magnus calmly continued, grabbing something from the shelf and moving to his table where he worked.

"I'm a warlock. I know when things are out of order."

Alec's head dropped in defeat. "I had no right. It was an invasion of your privacy, and I'm sorry."

Magnus nodded. "Apology accepted."

Alec nodded and pursed his lips. "George…he…he must be special."

"He _was_. A brave solider…like someone else I know."

Magnus smiled sadly up to Alec, who gave a returning embarrassed smile and nod.

"Shall I whip us up some cocktails? Martini Mondays. Gin or Vodka?"

"Gin," Alec said quickly.

Magnus nodded and walked past, but stopped a few steps out of the room. "You're not jealous, are you?"

Alec kept his back turned to Magnus. "You were weird before, when I asked about moving in." Alec turned reluctantly. "Is he still-?"

"The man's been dead over a century."

Alec shook his head lightly. "Well, why do you keep so much of his stuff?"

"Alexander, the contents in that box, they're not George's. I only have that single photograph."

"Then what  _is_  all that?"

Magnus sighed. "Each of those belonged to someone I loved and outlived. A different committed relationship for each one."

Alec's face showed as he processed the information. "Why do you keep it?"

"I may be  _magical_ , but…my memory's far from it. I keep those mementos to remember them by. Look, Alec, you  _know_  my history. I've always…been honest with you about that."

"Well…now that I've seen some of that history with my own eyes, I can't help but think if I'm  _lucky_ , maybe one of my arrowheads ends up in that box."

"Look, I don't even wanna _think_  about you being gone."

"But one day I  _will_  be. And you'll just…move on."

"I'm immortal!" Magnus snapped. "It's not as if I have a _choice!_  I can't change what I am, and neither can you!" Magnus took a deep breath. "Look…can we just…stay in the here and now? Hmm? Look, I wanna  _cherish_ …this moment, with the one I love."

Magnus took Alec's hand and Alec sighed, relaxing into a smile. He rested his hand on Magnus's shoulder before kissing him. "You're right. I love you, too."

Magnus smiled and fiddled with his hand before patting Alec on the shoulder. "Good. Now, don't you go anywhere, I'll be right back with those martinis."

Magnus smiled and turned to head into the other room while Alec turned again and frowned.

* * *

Namir burst into the room, louder than she normally did, and its occupant jumped and fell out of his chair. In her hands was a powerful Seelie weapon, one that he knew held a power of very ancient and very deadly proportions.

"Change of plans. This isn't how I wanted this, but we have no choice."

"What?" He began to crawl back as she approached, but reached a limit thanks to the chains. She held the staff up and stepped down on his shoulder to hold him still. She lowered the end of the staff to his forehead. "W-What are you doing?!"

The mark on the staff glowed hot with energy as she pressed it firmly to his forehead. He screamed, expecting the mark to do much more damage to the point of killing him in his weakened state, but instead he found himself lying on the floor of his prison, alive and recovering.

Namir reached down and pulled the chains off his wrists and ankles. "You must go save Ithuriel."

"Ithuriel? He's  _here?_  On Earth?"

"Not for very long. Clary Morgenstern summoned him for a chat, but Clary is the person that Lilith needs - specifically, a piece of her soul. Ithuriel will be caught defenseless, always  _has_  had a soft spot for children."

"So what are-?"

"I need a distraction. Besides, if Lily kills Ithuriel, what'll you do? Remember darling, the only person who gets to kill Ithuriel is you."

She pulled him to his feet and dragged him out of the room. He stumbled, his legs giving out from under him from lack of use, and she pulled him up the stairs to the roof of the church.

"What…?"

"You can't fly, right? Little bird's wings are clipped? Well, I'll just have to throw you."

"But you-!"

"I will make good on my promise. No harm will come to you should your boyfriend do what I ask. Now go, Ren'ai!"

She grabbed him by his shirt and chuckled him through the sky. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he screamed. She was right, he couldn't fly. That made him terrified of the sky, of heights, of falling. He was resilient though, he would hit the ground and survive, but that was possibly the scariest part: knowing he'd hit the ground and being powerless to do anything about it.

When Ren landed, he had the wind knocked out of him, but he found that he hadn't actually hit the ground - he was hovering gently before he was dropped the final meter or so. He stood and looked around, seeing a light passing across the sky and then diving down to land a small distance away through the trees.

Ren wanted to stay still and do nothing. He wanted to run back the way he'd come, look for Kan. He wanted to take a deep breath and enjoy his moments of freedom upon Earth once more. But for some reason he found himself standing and walking towards where the angel had landed.

"…the  _Owl_  has a  _master_. Its  _name_  is-"

" _Ithuriel!_ "

Ren tackled the angel, but instead of following Ithuriel to the ground, Ren suddenly felt himself being shoved back by a pulse of energy, throwing him in a different direction as the mark on his forehead glowed. Behind where Ithuriel had been standing, a large Edomei demon loomed. It had large wings to fly, two sets of arms with three clawed fingers each, and a large, long tail which it balanced on like a snake. The faeryl creature had two main horns curling inwards behind its head and a demonic smile filled with sharp teeth.

It hissed loudly at Ren's interference while the fallen angel screamed, " _Go_ , you fool!"

The demon lashed out at Ithuriel as he spread his wings and turned to light, disappearing in a small explosion of energy. The large demon swiped its claws at Ren, but was fended off by a booming blast that sent it screeching back. Ren breathed hard and realized that it had worked. Not only had he survived, but the mark was now protecting him.

He then proceeded to pass out.


	33. True Love Lies

Magnus cut into his breakfast and took a bite. "Mmm! This is  _delicious_. I haven't been this enamoured of French toast since…well, since Julia Child made me a petit dejeuner."

Shu pulled out her phone. "Hold on."

Magnus sighed. " _Really?_ "

"Yes, really." She typed in the name and scrolled through the Google results. "Fine, you get a pass for now."

"I do my research."

"He's  _always_  lying about people he's met," Shu told Alec. "Like Julius Caesar. You wanna know who's met Julius Caesar in this house? It's not Magnus." She pointed to herself mouthing ' _Me._ ' "Lotta blood that day he was assassinated. All the movies never add enough  _blood_."

Alec laughed and Magnus rolled his eyes. "Well, it's good to see that you're feeling better. Is your transformation reversing?"

She sighed. "No. But I met someone."

" _Someone?_ "

"Yes! Charon's daughter, a warlock. A nice girl who's going to come and meet her father - probably slap him, because what warlock  _doesn't_  want so slap their demonic parent? - and then become properly acquainted. She's pretty powerful too, might come in handy one day, and for now, she's helping me return to my normal state. Somewhat."

"That's good," Alec said. "Anymore allies are always welcome."

"She can enjoy Alec's cooking too," Magnus agreed.

"Maybe you should save the spatula I used for your little box if you like it so much," Alec muttered, drinking his coffee.

"He saw the box?" Shu sighed.

Magnus closed his eyes as he internally winced and Shu stood.

"On second thought, I'll eat in my room."

Magnus cleared his throat and set his fork down, wiping his hands on his napkin. "Alexander…if my  _mementos_  are still an issue for you, perhaps we should talk about it."

"No, it - it's  _my_  issue. It's just I-I got  _so_ …swept up that I…" He sighed. "…that I never stopped to think about the  _future_."

"We fell in love. There's nothing else to think about."

"I can't stomach the idea that one day, I'm gonna be  _old_ …and  _feeble_ , and becoming this… _burden_  to you."

"Look, there's no universe where you would  _ever_  be a burden."

"You say that  _now_."

There was a long break of silence.

Magnus sighed. "Okay, maybe…the reason why you're having such a hard time  _processing_  this is because this is your first…relationship."

"Right, because the whole immortality thing, that's - that's no big deal. This is  _all_  just because you're the only guy I've ever  _been_  with."

"No, no, no.  _All_  I'm saying is… _every_  relationship is complicated. Perhaps ours wouldn't seem so  _daunting_  if you would have been with at least one person  _before_  me."

"Oh. So…what, I should go  _sow my oats?_ "

"You're putting words in my mouth, that's not what-"

"And  _you're_  twisting this into something that it  _isn't_ ," Alec snapped. "I'm not a  _child_ , Magnus."

"Then stop  _acting_  like one!" Magnus snapped.

There was a heavy silence between them before Alec dropped his napkin on the table. "Lost my appetite."

He stood and stomped away angrily while Magnus sighed heavily.

* * *

"You're saying this angel helped save Ithuriel's life?" Alec asked.

"Yes, and mine, too, probably," Clary said.

Clary, Luke, and Cleophas had all agreed that the man that saved Clary and Ithuriel needed medical attention. Cleophas had confirmed that the man was an angel, disguised in human form just like Ithuriel had been - so not glowing like a heavenly glowstick. Clary decided that telling Alec and having the angel receive treatment and protection in the Institute was for the best.

"I've told the others that he's a Shadowhunter that came out of nowhere and we're waiting for him to wake up to find out where he comes from," Alec explained. "No one should know we have an angel here, not until we figure this out."

"Agreed."

"What were you even  _doing_ , summoning Ithuriel?"

"I wanted to find a way to help Jace without him going to the Silent City and risking being deemed unfit for duty."

"Are you sure this isn't about…what happened when Jace died?"

Clary shook her head. "It's nothing like that, Alec. I just wanted help with his mental health issues, nothing more."

Alec nodded skeptically. "You know, angels aren't just there to be at your beck and call. Just because you have Ithuriel's blood doesn't mean you knew he'd not be angry at you for summoning him. Now that he was nearly killed because of you, he may never come and help us again. So I hope that you considered how serious this was before going this far. Now we just have to hope that when this one wakes up,  _he_  doesn't smite us for your carelessness."

Alec stomped out of the room, still angry at Clary's insistence for hiding the truth, and Clary sighed, looking at the beat up angel lying on the hospital bed.

They had cleaned him up - his dirtied hair now completely white - and his white clothes being washed to be returned to him. Clary looked at him in awe, never having gotten the chance to really examine an angel like this before. His skin might look normal if you weren't paying too much attention, but looking closely, it almost seemed to glow. Still, the doctors said that he was malnourished and injured, as though he'd been tortured, just like Ithuriel back when Clary and Jace had freed him. There were no signs of wings, maybe because he had them sheathed, but he was recovering from  _something_ , that was for sure.

Clary sighed and left the angel to rest, hoping that she hadn't just made a terrible mistake, like Alec had said.

* * *

_I fell through the portal I was tossed through, feeling the wind swirl around. The air suddenly became heavy, weak, with less angelic energy, and I almost felt like throwing up on the spot._

_I hit the ground hard, rolling onto my back upon impact and instantly regretting it as I felt my back cry out in more pain. I quickly rolled to my stomach and slowly gathered my bearings. Sheathing my wings and somewhat dulling the pain, and leaned against a tree and pulled myself to my feet._

_The sky was so dark, the world so ugly. I had studied this world, sure, but coming here was a whole different experience._

_I wanted to cry. I wanted to go home._

_But I refused to let them beat me down further than they already had. So, I swallowed my sobs and blinked away my tears, walking forward._

_I wondered if there was civilization anywhere nearby, and if I should search for it if there was. People of this world were supposedly cruel and rash should I stumble upon the wrong one. Yet I needed to find_ someone _to teach me of this world, else I wouldn't last very long._

_I held up my hand and felt that my powers were still working, but they were significantly weakened without the aura of Heaven constantly surrounding me and feeding me such strong energy. I would have to rely only on my own reserves and regular regeneration rate, which would all be significantly weaker than they could be since I've relied so heavily upon the power of my home up until now._

_I made my way through the woods, which seemed to be relatively untouched by humans. I needed to find some kind of river with clean water, as well as find a source of food. Down in this world, my energy wouldn't be able to sustain me forever. It would be able to keep me satisfied for a couple weeks or even months, but it wasn't used to supporting me in such a way all on its own, so I would need at least a couple winters' worth of living this way for me to build up reserves and resistances._

_When I pushed through a line of bushes, I came across a house. It was small, but I sensed a small bit of energy from it that definitely wasn't human._

_It didn't seem to be harmful, so I walked up and knocked. The door, to my surprise, popped open upon the light push, and I slowly walked in._

_"Hello?" I called, hoping not to scare anyone._

_The door_ was _unlocked, and it didn't even seem to have been properly closed. If they were so careless to allow in any passerby, along with wildlife, then perhaps it was best I not venture further, but when I saw what was inside, I reconsidered immediately._

_The room the door lead into was my own, back from my own house. I never considered that I might never see my household again, but now it was right here. Someone had left it purposefully._

_I closed the door behind me and locked the door, before walking further in past the living room and seeing that my workshop and lab were there as well, the inside of the house much larger than the outside had appeared. Every book was on the shelf, not a single thing disturbed since I had last been there._

_I walked into the lab, checking all of the ingredients that I'd collected for potions and my research over the years was all still there. I took my work seriously, and so when I saw a small note was lying within my open journal that I had been working with, I instantly took notice._

_Walking over, I picked it up and noticed familiar handwriting._

_"_ Ren'ai. I apologize for the recent events surrounding your banishment. I know I cannot expect your forgiveness; however I hope that this is a proper way to show my intentions of sustaining our friendship. _"_

_I felt rage boiling within me at just the thought, crushing the small note. He had the gall to apologize to me after he was the one who got me banished in the first place. 'Sustaining our friendship?' As if he believes I'll ever want his 'friendship' ever again. Just because he gave me my home doesn't make up for what he's done._

_I angrily took out a piece of paper, tearing it from my notebook, and scribbled my reply._

_"_ You're right. I will never give forgiveness. There is no friendship between us. You forfeited your right to my comradery the moment you accused me of traitorous acts against the court of Heaven. My family shunned me, my friends looked down upon me, and not a single angel listened to my pleas. All because of you. Now, I am doomed to never see my home again. Your petty attempt at generosity sickens me. Never speak to me again. Never write to me again. I believe the words spat in my face at the ceremony were 'This is no longer your world.' You aren't a part of my world. I don't want you to be. Stay out of it. _"_

_I angrily used my energy to set the page ablaze, before I pounded the table, sobbing. I let out everything I'd been holding in since the moment the Angelic Guard had stormed into my house and put me under arrest, my best friend leading the charge._

_I couldn't ever see my friends or family, I would never be able to walk with the angels, I would never have the life I loved again. I had pleaded that it wasn't my fault, I had begged them with all I had that I hadn't known. They looked into my memories, they saw that I meant no harm. But they still cast me out, sentenced me to a life in this place forever, never again to live as an angel._

_They punished me with shame, a life of sorrow and hatred. They would've had more mercy if they had just killed me. But that's not how the angels worked. They would refrain from killing at all costs, and there were no records of executions to date._

_Even the demon that had tricked me, he was being taken to the demons as a bargaining chip. The angels_ actually _expected the demons to punish him? I'd bet my life that they were the ones who sent him to trick me in the first place. But even he got to go home._

_And all I could do was sob. I could scream and shout, I could tear the pages of my work out - the very thing used against me that banished me in the first place - I could smash the jars holding all the work that I'd collected, hoping only to_ help _, which had all gone to waste._

_But none of it helped. I still felt as empty as ever._

_The demon got to go to Hell, but in a way, so did I. Except this wasn't home to me. This was worse than any hell one could imagine. This was_ my _hell._

_This was my reality now._

* * *

Alec watched as tears fell from the closed eyes of the unconscious angel. He shifted in his sleep and pulled the covers over him tightly, nearly disappearing under the covers with his small frame and white hair matching the sheets.

Alec wondered, did angels dream? Was he in pain? Alec was really at a loss as to what to do. He didn't know anything about angels, he didn't expect  _this_  angel to be so…human. According to the doctors that Alec had specifically chosen personally, there was nothing suspicious about the angel at all - as far as they were concerned, he was a Shadowhunter. Maybe it meant that the angel was so weak that he could be mistaken for a Nephilim.

It still begged the questions of where the angel had come from, and who had left him in such a bad condition. It was known that Ithuriel had been captured by Valentine, but who else had such power? The Owl, maybe? Clary had told him that Ithuriel had said the Owl had a master, but they were interrupted before he could say who it was. Hopefully this angel had the same answers they needed.

* * *

"I got that roommate," Val reported.

"Oh?" Shu asked.

"The former Shadowhunter woman you said needed a place to stay?"

"Right, I know. But so soon? Wow, I told you about her once last time we met."

"Yeah, well the moment I left, I seeked her out and offered her a room at my place. I made sure that she had full control over the situation, of course - gave her a phone, showed her it was working, let her type in a number and be ready to call for help at a moment's notice should I betray her or whatever, but I told her I was your friend who'd been sent to help. Maryse is a nice woman who made some mistakes in her past, but she sure as heck didn't deserve being left out on the streets like that."

Shu sighed. "How's she settling in?"

"The girl's tough, but I can tell she's breaking on the inside - especially without her runes to help keep up that façade of hers. She looks at herself in the mirror, she looks at her skin, free of those runes all them Shadowhunters have, and there's so much sadness in her heart."

Shu nodded. "Maryse was a strict and tough woman, but it's because she was afraid. Afraid of herself, afraid of her past catching up to her, afraid of the future it could ruin."

"Adjusting to a whole new life isn't easy, but she'll manage. She said she was going to visit her children today."

"That's good. Alec needs a spirit boost in his life. He's a Shadowhunter, you see, Maryse's son, and he's dating my brother, Magnus." She took a deep breath. "But he recently came to that realization, you know? That he isn't immortal and Magnus… _is_."

"Ah, the daunting immortal love. That's the thing with immortals. If we find someone else that's immortal, we get tired of them, we have more than enough time to know that eternity awaits us. And if we find non-immortal lovers, then we just lose so many of them, face the inevitable end. If mundanes had… _twice_  the lifespans, stayed young for twice as long, I have no doubt that things might be a lot better, but even then, if that were the  _normal standard_ , then it would still not be enough. Usually about 200 years is how long I can stay in a single immortal relationship. You?"

"A few thousand years was my first relationship. Then we broke up and my shorter relationships were only about 50 years since humans didn't live that long. They live a bit longer in modern days, but still."

"And Charon? How's that going?"

"I love being with him again. He's the only one that really _understands_  me. We may have had out qualms in the past, but my gods, have I missed him. He's been passed out for  _far_  too long at this point and I'm getting kinda worried, but I can't heal him anymore, not the way that I am."

"You should check up on him soon. I can't wait to come over."

"For him or just to see my apartment?"

Val shrugged. "Both."

Shu chuckled. "Well, I'd be happy to let you over sooner, though Charon might get upset if you graffiti his face while he's sleeping."

Val laughed. "I'd assume so. I'll do my best to resist the urge, but now that you've brought it  _up_ …"

Shu chuckled. "I will advise you against it because he  _is_  still a Greater Demon, but beyond that, I'll just say, it's best  _not_  to, if you would."

"No promises."

* * *

Kandai dug around his daughter's room (it wasn't weird) looking for the ring. When Shu had come back later that day after he'd encountered the Shadowhunter boy that she lived with, he'd pretended to be asleep again as this 'Charon' dude who had apparently been using his face (he'd be miffed about that later).

He dug through every nook and cranny for the ring that he'd once worn as a wedding ring before Shu had taken it from him. He found a small compartment under a floorboard or two and had hope, however he just found a box full of random trinkets. Kandai had looked at each of them, labeled with notes infused with magic so they'd never age. There were names and numbers, along with hearts. These were items from those that she'd once loved in her long life.

But no ring.

He was instructed specifically to get that ring for its properties in transforming angelic energy into demon-safe energy. It was so that he and Ren could properly date without harming each other, with Ren having an opposite version - one that turned demonic energy to angel-safe. Ren was a genius, even by angel standards, and an alchemist. Those rings were each one-of-a-kind, and now the demon queen needed his ring to be safe from any angelic power.

Nervously, Kan summoned a wave of dark energy that transformed into a screen that contacted Namir. " _You have it?_ "

"N-No. I can't find it. It's not in her room and it's not on her person."

" _I told you to_  find _it! Our deal says that your angel will remain unharmed so long as you do as I say, but if you can't bring me that ring, I will make him_ suffer!"

"I-I don't know where to look! If it's not with her, then where can it be?"

" _That's for_ you _to find out, not me. Now go and get that ring,_  now!"

"Y-Yes ma'am."

* * *

Ren woke up to a bright lights above him.

For a moment, he worried that he'd been brought back to Heaven. But no, they'd never take him back, no matter what happened. He never wanted to go back there anyway.

Ren tried to recall the events that led to his unconscious state. Saving Ithuriel from that demon, that monstrosity, and be protected by the mark. This was Namir's way of honoring her deal, Ren realized. Now, Ren would be impervious to outside harm - though miscellaneous objects and he himself could still do damage. Hopefully no one had tried to poke and prod him while he had been asleep.

Ren didn't recognize the place he was in, but he knew that his head was pounding from an overload of angelic blood. He tried to sit up and winced, feeling pain surge through his skull.

"Whoa, take it easy there," A voice said.

Ren looked up and saw the slight glowing of a woman. She definitely wasn't an angel, but she almost smelled like…Raziel.

"Nephilim…" Ren realized.

Ren moved to jump out of the bed he was in, but instead tumbled onto the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet and took up a defensive stance.

"Nephilim!"

"Hey, hey! It's okay!" The woman said, her hands up in surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm Meg, I'm here to help you. Just…calm down."

Ren sensed more Nephilim in the building. Dozens of them. All smelling of Raziel's scent. "No, what did you  _do_ , Razz?"

"Someone get Alexander," Meg whispered to another man.

Ren didn't know who Alexander was, and he didn't ever want to learn. He jumped to life, surprising Meg as Ren surged past her out of the small room he was in and down the hall.

An exit. He needed to find an exit.

He sprinted down the halls, passing and scaring some more Nephilim, but he didn't care. He needed to get out of here. Right now. He saw an elevator, but knew that would simply lead him into an ambush when he arrived at whatever floor he needed to be on. Stairs, he needed stairs.

He looked for a picture of a zig-zag line that seemed to mimic the basic design of stairs and rushed through the door. Deciding that there was nothing wrong with going up (and down wasn't exactly going to help if he overshot and went below ground level), he rushed up the stairs. The doors each had some sort of symbol that Ren assumed were numbers categorizing which floor he was on, but when the small short symbol changed to be some word, Ren took the chance to assume that it was pointing out the main floor.

He pushed through the door, surprising even more Nephilim as he surged past them down the hall. Finally, he found a room that had a hall with doors leading outside. The room was filled with technology and more Nephilim - some of which had weapons for training but others had weapons as they all started to suspect that Ren was an escapee from the prison block.

Ren hoped to make it through the room without being stopped, but people who were both concerned for him and suspicious of him began to swarm him. Ren could hear their voices, but he could also hear their thoughts of him. He heard all the voices mixing together, echoing through his mind on top of the overwhelming sensation of their angel blood pushing against his mental walls. He staggered back, his vision blurring. Ren put his hands to his ears but it didn't help.

"STOP IT!"

The weapons throughout the room began to glow with angelic energy, even ones that weren't being touched by the Nephilim, and all of them began to shake violently as they began to overload with angelic energy. They glowed brighter and brighter before they suddenly exploded. Shrapnel of the weapons were sent everywhere, and Ren held up a small barrier around himself before sprinting for the exit.

He shoved the doors open to be met with the blinding sun. It had been a long time since he'd seen the sun, so he was blinded as he sprinted forward into the mundane city. He bumped into a few people as he ran, trying to get his bearings. He ran into an alley outside of the normal flow of mundanes, but ended up bumping into a werewolf. Sensing the demonic curse upon the man, he instantly turned and ran back into the crowd, pushing his way through before he suddenly heard the loud honking of a horn and dodged a large metal contraption that a human was inside - a machine of sorts. Ren realized he seemed to be in a street filled with them, running to the other side and passing a few more honking cars before rushing into another alley.

He reached a dead end with a fence, falling down and hiding behind a trash bin. He curled up into a small ball, hoping not to be seen, and started crying. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know what to do, he didn't know if Namir was going to come and imprison him again, but it was preferable to being lost in this unfamiliar world, all alone and afraid.

* * *

"Your control has stabilized," Namir reported. "He  _should_  act more normal around his companions now, be a little more convincing."

"Good. Were nearing the final stages, we need everything to be perfect for my son's return."

"So, am I still allowed to borrow him once Jonathan's up and running? I have a few people that would just  _hate_  to see what the poor sod has become, screaming 'I know you're in there!' It will be so beautiful."

"Once my son's revived, you may play with him as you please. Make him burn his world, destroy all he loves, and make it  _painful_."

"My pleasure. Still. One more disciple to go. Let's hurry this along."

"What of your angel?"

"The spell I cast combined with the mark on him will ensure that he can be harmed by no one, not even himself or inanimate objects, unless I deem it so. If my demon steps out of line, no matter where the angel runs, there will be no escaping punishment."

"Excellent. I will give Jace his orders. Once you have that ring, you may proceed."

* * *

"What happened?" Alec demanded.

"The guy woke up and seemed terrified," Meg reported. "He kept saying 'Nephilim' like he was afraid of us."

"It's possible he could've been the descendant of a rogue Shadowhunter - still a Shadowhunter with all the capabilities of one, but he doesn't know of his origins, or worse, was raised to be afraid of and/or hate Nephilim. We need to find him soon before he gets himself into trouble."

"Yes sir."

Alec sighed. This was far too much for just one day. This on top of the Owl, Jace, Clary, and…Magnus…all of it was adding up.

Alec took a deep breath. Jace was going to the Silent City for treatment today, so hopefully that would be resolved soon. Not to mention that Maryse was here today and Izzy should be inviting her to dinner at the Hunter's Moon. He needed a break, he needed to comfort his mom, and a dinner with the family might be what he needs.

Of course, Izzy had said that Magnus should come since he was a part of the family too, and Alec just didn't have the heart to tell her what had happened. This was for Maryse. Enduring a night with Magnus was nothing compared to what he owed her.

Alec sighed. He needed coffee. Might as well get out and take a walk to prepare for this.

* * *

"It all happened so fast," Clary reported as Magnus looked at a vague sketch of the demon that had attacked her and Ithuriel. "I-I wish I had gotten a better look at it."

"Well, I've seen lots of demons in my day, but…never  _this_ ," Magnus admitted.

"The last thing I remember, it touched its claw to my chest. I still don't know why it didn't kill me."

"Powerful demons often leave an imprint, traces of their unique energy. If I can tap into the spot where it made contact with you, perhaps we can get a better sense of what we're dealing with."

Clary nodded and pulled her hair back and out of the way. Magnus snapped and waved his magic over her chest, touching his hand to the base of her neck as she began to glow with a red energy. Magnus cringed as the red magic crawled back up his fingers and tainted his magic. Magnus quickly pulled his hand back with a grunt.

"What is it?" Clary asked worriedly.

"This energy signature, it's…the same as the one that corrupted the ley lines. It seems that we're chasing the same demon."

Magnus took the sheet of paper Clary had drawn her sketch on and began writing a message with his magic. He set it ablaze and then tossed the fire message away.

"What are you doing?" Clary exclaimed.

"I'm sending a message to an old contact. He has access to information  _far_  beyond my resources. Hopefully, he's willing to help us…identify the beast."

Clary nodded. "I should…tell Jace."

Magnus nodded, but saw that Clary still looked uneased. "Biscuit? Is everything okay?"

"I tried to tell Jace about all of this earlier, but…he was acting…strange."

"Strange  _how?_ "

Clary sighed. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but…he didn't  _exactly_  seem happy to see me. I tried to hug him and it just, it felt…odd."

"Relationships. They  _can_  be  _exasperating_ , can't they?"

Clary nodded. "Yeah."

"Sometimes, it's best…just to be  _patient_. Jace has been through a lot. He probably just needs some time."

Clary looked like she was about to say something, but Magnus pushed her out of the way of a fire message that came flying back to Magnus's hands.

"Ah, we're in luck. Brother Zachariah says he's willing to meet. Tonight."

* * *

"Yo, what's up, losers?" Shu announced as she sat down beside Alec at the table. "Maryse, it's good to see you again. My friend Val told me she offered you a place."

"Really?" Alec asked.

Maryse nodded. "She was a kind warlock. She's also setting up all of my mundane credentials to make life a little easier. She's constructing a whole backstory for me."

"That's great to hear," Izzy exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Shu."

"I can't take much of the credit, considering she told me what she'd done  _after_  the fact, when I hadn't even asked her personally. I think I was talking about Magnus and then talking about Alec and then mentioned Maryse  _once_  and she still remembered what I said."

"A good listener, always a strong quality," Maryse commented.

"And she's got a good memory, so there's that too."

"Where's Magnus?" Jace asked.

"Oh, don't know. Last I saw, he was at the loft sulking his little heart out like my brother always does." She gave Alec a glance but quickly turned back to the others. "He's dramatic, that one, but a bit stressed from his new lifestyle of clients galore. Then again, he  _loves_  helping people, and the rush only makes things more invigorating. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"And Isabelle, where's your friend?" Maryse asked.

"What  _friend?_ " Jace asked, frowning.

"Friend?" Alec asked. "Wait, you have a new boyfriend? Why am I the last one to hear about this?"

"Oh, no. Alec, I haven't heard about this one either."

Isabelle frowned at each of them. "Okay, he's not my  _boyfriend_. We've only been on  _one_  date."

"He's a  _doctor_ ," Maryse whispered before taking a drink of her wine.

"Well, what is he?" Alec asked. "Is he a werewolf? A warlock?"

"He's a mundane," Izzy revealed.

Alec looked around to the others to confirm if he'd heard that right. "Seriously?"

"Mom, that's  _new_ ," Jace commented.

" _I'm_  practically a mundane at this point," Maryse pointed out.

"But you're a former  _Shadowhunter_ ," Shu countered. "That makes you still  _way_  better than any mundane. No offense to this guy. Does he even  _know_  about the Shadow World? He better not if he's a mundane, but I'm just saying."

"Okay, you all have to  _promise_  to behave yourselves."

" _Us?_ " Jace asked skeptically.

"What?" Alec asked, still in disbelief.

Izzy looked over as a man walked into the Hunter's Moon and closed the door behind him. The look on her face told them everything they needed to know.

"Oh, Isabelle," Maryse sighed. " _He_  is handsome."

"Mom…" Izzy muttered in warning.

Jace looked up and him and almost seemed intrigued. "Can't wait to meet him."

* * *

"So, w-what kind of doctor are you?" Alec asked.

"Pediatric surgeon," Charlie explained.

"You work with children," Jace clarified.

"Yeah, well, kids love to break their arms, run into coffee tables." He got a round of laughter from the table. "And…not everybody heals as fast as Isabelle."

Izzy touched her forehead where she had apparently gotten stiches from Charlie since she had to keep up appearances. She'd long since healed with Iratze, but it seemed Charlie remembered.

"Yeah," Izzy chuckled. "The magic of makeup."

Charlie nodded. "Anyway, Isabelle told me about the family business."

"What…exactly did she tell you?" Alec asked.

Izzy opened her mouth to explain, but Charlie cut in. "Is the jewelry thing a secret?"

"Oh…jewelry," Alec chuckled. "She told you we're  _jewelers?_ "

Maryse put her hand on Alec's to cut in. "We prefer to think of ourselves as  _artists_."

"They're brilliant all right," Shu giggled. "They…could make anything with just some random stuff they have around their house. There was this jewel that broke from Isabelle's necklace - she fixed it and turned it into that bracelet you see on her now."

"And what is it that  _you_  do?" Charlie asked.

"Me and my brother are…philanthropists. We help all who call for our aid."

"You donate?"

Shu nodded. "Yes, that's totally what we do. Our father runs this…big company and whatever - he's practically a prince," Shu explained, hearing Alec nearly spit out his drink as he laughed. "Prince of Hell, more like it, he's not exactly warm and fuzzy."

Alec pretended to be choking on his drink in his laughter while Jace patted his back asking if he was okay.

"But we  _have_  learned to be better than him. We use the money made to go out and help any people we find with any problems they have."

"Oh? You specialize in anything?"

"We like to consider ourselves the…jack-of-all-trades siblings. We do anything and are always happy to learn more. Why, we can practically do magic."

Maryse was smiling and Jace was chuckling now while Izzy was trying not to look nervous.

"Is…there an inside joke I'm not getting?" Charlie asked.

"Ignore them, they're all idiots," Izzy snapped.

"Hey!" "Are not!"

Alec and Jace replied indignantly.

"But they are," Shu confirmed.

"Hey, you're not innocent in this either," Izzy hissed.

"What? But I'm an  _angel_."

Alec and Jace now completely laughed out loud.

"All idiots," Izzy declared. "The lot of them. My family's a mess. Sorry. Ignore them like your life depends on it."

Charlie simply laughed. "Noted."

Alec's phone rang with a text and he pulled it out to find it was from Magnus.

' _Held up with client. Give Maryse my best._ '

Shu's phone buzzed and she pulled it from her dress pocket (still in her white dress, but at least she'd put shoes on for this event). She also had a text from Magnus.

' _Going to see Jem. Wanna come? ;)_ '

"What, no  _fair_ ," Shu whined.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"A friend of mine, uh…" She debated on what to call him. "Zachariah, he's…in town and my brother, Magnus, is going to visit. We rarely get to see Brother Zachariah since he's always…on duty."

"Brother?"

"Y-Yeah, you know, like in…church…?"

Charlie nodded in understanding.

"I, uh, need a refill," Alec announced, standing and walking off. "Excuse me."

He went over to the bar and got a drink. Shu was becoming concerned with the amount of alcohol Alec was consuming the moment that Magnus was brought to mind.

"Can I get a refill?" Alec asked Maia who was working tonight. "Make it a double."

"Tough day at the office?" Underhill asked beside him.

Alec shifted. "You could say that." Alec realized that he was getting caught drinking and his instincts kicked in. "I don't usually…" He waved at the drinks.

"Oh, hey, hey," Underhill said, putting his hands up in surrender. "No judgement here. I mean…if  _anyone_ deserves a drink, it's…gotta be the Head of the Institute, right?" Alec nodded dismissively while drinking from his glass. "I can't even begin to imagine the kind of…stress that would bring." Alec nodded again, but didn't say anything. "So, uh…where's your better half?"

Alec pursed his lips. " _Busy_."

"Oh. That's too bad. You know what? I'll just, uh…I'll leave you to you and your drink." Alec chuckled weakly. "You have a…you have a good rest of your night, okay?"

"You too," Alec called lightly as Underhill walked away.

Shu also saw Simon and Maia were here that night as well, with Simon looking paranoid and Maia calming him down. The Hunter's Moon was luckily a place that Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike could get along.

"You wanna go meet your friend?" Charlie asked Shu.

"Oh, no, I'd hate to run out on you all. And besides, I can catch up with them later."

"Oh, it's no problem."

"Who's up for some dessert?" Maryse suggested.

"Oh, I am!" "Sure, yeah." "Definitely."

"Maryse Lightwood. At the Hunter's Moon."

They all looked up to see Luke standing at their table. "Lucian…" Maryse muttered in surprise.

"We…should get another round," Izzy announced.

Everyone stood up and left the two of them alone. Shu walked over to where Alec was drinking alone.

"You know, I first liked you because you  _weren't_  a drinker," She stated. "Magnus really has a bad influence on everyone around him. Hell, he's even gotten  _me_  into drinking recently. This world's gonna be drowning in alcohol because of him and him alone."

Alec sighed and dropped his head. "Look, Shu…"

"You are like a brother to me, Alexander. I don't wanna lose you any time soon. I've had to tell this to many people I love, but if you focus too much on the future, then you're  _never_  going to enjoy the  _present_. You'll wear yourself thin with worry, concern, and cause yourself unnecessary pain. The future is inevitable, I know that better than most. But that's why I know that I have to make the most of the  _present_. You will  _never_  be a burden to us, Alexander, but at the moment, even by your standards, you still aren't. Just take a deep breath and stop worrying. And make up with my brother. If you two break up because of something as stupid as immortality, then I guess you were never meant to be in the first place - but I know you two are perfect for each other. Please don't give up."

He looked to her and took a deep breath. "I'll try," He promised.

She patted him on the arm. "I'm gonna go and catch up with Magnus and Brother Zachariah. Oh, and please make sure no one knows we we're meeting Brother Zachariah. He could get into trouble for helping us and making house calls."

Alec nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks."

* * *

"So… _where_  is your friend?" Clary asked.

"He  _should_  be here," Magnus assured her, pacing around the park where they were to meet.

Nearby was a statue signifying an entrance to the Silent City where Brother Zachariah would come from.

"Magnus…" Clary began while they waited. "Are you okay?"

He nodded unconvincingly. "Yeah."

Clary scoffed. "I've been so focused on my own problems, but…I can tell, something's going on."

"Alec and I had a fight," Magnus admitted. "A bad one. We both said some things we didn't actually mean."

"I'm sorry. But…there's  _nothing_  you two can't work out."

He nodded and put his hand on her arm. "I hope that's true."

Shu came speeding into the park, quick and quiet like a vampire. "Hey did I miss him?"

"No, he hasn't arrived yet," Magnus informed her.

" _Magnus Bane_ ," A telepathic voice called.

They looked over to see Jem - Brother Zachariah - had appeared, holding some books and scrolls in his hands and covered in the normal Silent Brother robes.

" _It has been too long_."

"Indeed, it has," Magnus agreed.

" _Way_  too long," Shu stressed.

"I'm sorry to call on you like this. Clary, this is Brother Zachariah."

Clary looked at him. The man standing before her still looked to be a normal boy, his eyes open and blinking, his mouth unstitched, simply held closed by normal means. His hair had stripes of white within his black locks and he wore the tattered robes of the rest of the Brotherhood, but beyond that, nothing looked off about him. Underneath his robes, he had some of the special runes reserved only for Silent Brothers, but of course, they were covered.

"You're a  _Silent Brother?_ " Clary asked in disbelief.

" _I know I appear unlike the others_ …" Brother Zachariah began. " _But that is a tale for another day. These texts contain information on long forgotten demon forms. They_ may _hold a clue to your creature's identity._ "

He handed the books and scrolls to Magnus.

" _You understand, if the Brotherhood discovers I helped you with this_ …"

"No one will know you were here today," Shu promised.

"Thank you, for your assistance," Magnus added.

" _Any friend of Will Herondale is a friend of mine._ "

"We're  _your_  friends too, Jem," Shu declared, pulling him into a hug that he tried to resist. "I don't care what the Brotherhood says, what you say, what anyone says, you are our friend named Jem who we love regardless of anything else. Got it?"

Jem smiled. " _Still stubborn as ever, dear Shu._ "

"You better believe it."

"Wait, Herondale?" Clary asked.

"We  _all_  were close with Jace's ancestor," Magnus explained.

Clary shifted from foot to foot. "I-I know I shouldn't ask this, but…did you help with Jace's treatment? He's been…acting differently, since he got back."

" _We received his treatment request. I would have been happy to oversee it._ "

"'Would have been?' What do you mean?"

" _Jace Herondale never came to the Silent City._ "

* * *

Alec watched Underhill play billiards as he had another drink. At this point, Alec had had a little more than he'd planned. Alec smiled and nodded as he saw Underhill sink one of the shots.

"Hey…" Underhill called. "You wanna play?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Alec stressed. "No, I'm, um…" He set his drink on the pool table and leaned against it. "I'm good."

Underhill gave a skeptical look. " _Are_  you…good?"

"Yes. Yeah. Well, there  _is_  a chance if I try to get up from here, I'm…I  _will_  fall over." Underhill chuckled. "Yeah,  _apparently_  I don't have the tolerance of a…800 year old warlock."

Underhill nodded, using the chalk to smooth his pool cue. "Right."

"And you know, this is - this is _your_  fault," Alec slurred. "Because you told me I-I should drink as much as I  _want_."

"Well, that's funny cause that's not  _exactly_  how I remember it."

Alec hummed with skepticism and Underhill chuckled.

"Do you, uh…need help back to your table?"

"No. No, no, no. Uh, ha…my mother  _cannot_  see me like this. And Jace. And Izzy. They will… _never_  let me hear the end of it."

"Right," Underhill nodded. He looked around. "I got an  _idea_. How bout I help you through the back? I'll hail you a cab. And then when I come back in, I'll just tell your family that you got…called in on Institute business."

"You'd do that?"

He nodded. "Sure."

Alec smiled. "Thank you."

"Your secret's safe with me."

Alec chuckled. "At least until Shu finds out - and she  _will_  find out. That girl's a mind-reader."

* * *

"There's usually cabs here," Underhill muttered, he and Alec outside the Hunter's Moon.

"Magnus and I had our first date here," Alec announced. "I asked him if he thought we were too different to be together." Alec pursed his lips. "We never really got around to answering that question. And  _now_ …now it's come around to bite me in the ass."

"So  _that's_  why you got all tense when I brought it up. I'm sorry. I-I didn't-"

Alec held his hand up. "Just…forget I said anything."

Alec turned and held his hand up to try and hail a cab and sighed in relief when one actually noticed them and pulled up.

"Look…" Underhill began. "I may not  _know_  all the details, but…I think I can guess what you mean when…you talk about your ' _differences._ ' Magnus…isn't a  _Shadowhunter_. He may not understand our ways. Nephilim…love once,  _fiercely_. Whatever you're feeling…I-it's  _okay_. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Alec chuckled and shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Right…" He held his hand up as he thought of what to say, but then simply stated, "I gotta go."

Underhill stepped forward. "Just, uh, here, let me get that."

Alec raised his hand to protest, but Underhill had already grabbed the cab door and opened it for him. Alec slipped inside as Underhill closed the door. Alec shook his head lightly before taking a deep breath and then having the cab driver take him home.

* * *

Shu, Clary, and Magnus hopped through a portal back into the city.

"If he wasn't in the City of Bones, then where the hell  _was_  he?" Clary demanded.

"I'm  _sure_  there's an explanation," Shu assured her, holding her shoes and barefoot once more despite the pavement. "Maybe even a  _good_  one. Maybe."

"We were  _supposed_  to be in this together! You don't… _lie_  to someone you  _love!_ "

"Wait," Magnus said, halting their walk. "You said  _Jace_  was acting cold towards you earlier?  _Detached?_  As if he didn't have any feelings for you anymore?"

"I don't know…I guess?"

"Around the time that Jace was…preparing to go to the Silent City, a woman came to see me. She requested an elixir that would make…a person fall out of love. There was something  _off_  about her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but…what if she was simply… _masking_  her power? And…oh my gosh, how could I be so  _blind?_ "

"What? What do you mean?"

"Shu was there, but it wasn't Shu. She was Shu's demonic half - she has the soul bond with me, she was  _easily_  able to override my thought process, make me turn a blind eye to her and that woman!  _That's_  why she looked  _normal_. She looked like regular Shu before her transformation. And then afterwards, I barely even thought twice about it."

"You would've easily be tricked by her," Shu agreed. "She would practically be able to string you and your emotions up like a puppet if she was that close to you."

"That woman with her, what if  _she_  was the demon that attacked you, disguised in human form?"

"You really think that's possible?" Clary asked.

"To complete the potion, a sliver of soul is required from the object of affection," Shu explained.

"And you wondered why…the demon only  _touched_  you, instead of just…killing you," Magnus concluded.

"But  _why?_ " Clary demanded. "Why would this woman give this elixir to  _Jace?_ "

"We need to find him."

Clary pulled out her phone and dialed a number, putting it up to her ear. "Luke, you at Hunter's Moon?"

There was a pause.

"Is Jace there?"

After hearing Luke's response, Clary's face showed that the answer was negative.

"Come on," Shu shouted, running forward. "Come on!"

* * *

They arrived just in time to catch a woman being taken over by the Owl's virus in an alley.

"STOP!" Clary shouted, wielding her duel kindjals.

Clary got the Owl's attention, but the woman - a police officer that worked with Luke - was already possessed.

Clary flipped her two blades and tossed them both from long range, the Owl jumping and avoiding one while grabbing the other and turning it back on her. Magnus jumped into the fray, deflecting the weapon back into the side of a dumpster. The Owl snarled, building red energy in the palms of his hands while Magnus summoned his magic.

The two of them worked to attack each other, but Magnus severely underestimated the amount of force needed in his attack and was blasted back into some trash cans behind him.

"Magnus!"

Shu ran up kneeled in front of Magnus, checking if he was okay. She then stood, dropping her heels to the ground beside her.

"Clary, cover your eyes."

She did so just in time as Shu began to glow white with angelic energy. Shu held her hand out as her blinded opponent staggered back as she blasted him with a beam of energy that shook the ground. He was thrown into the wall at the other end of the alley, his demonic power burning away at her angelic blast, but oddly enough his mask remaining - meaning that it wasn't connected to his demonic power - before Shu's power then started to fade.

"No, not  _now_ , what's-?"

The Owl had gotten back up, hissing and charging up his power before Shu was blasted to hit her head on the metal staircase behind her as she was thrown back.

"Shu!"

Shots rang out in the alley and the Owl suddenly collapsed, revealing Luke behind him with his gun drawn. The Owl stood once more, though now his mask finally faded away to reveal-

"Oh my God," Clary muttered. "Jace…it's  _you?_ "

He looked back to Luke behind him, before then running to jump up the side of the alley. Luke cocked his weapon but didn't fire, looking down to the police woman he'd infected before hurrying out of view. Said police woman then stood, her head tilting to the side with a small snap, before she then disappeared out of sight, running fast as a vampire.

"It was  _him_ …all along," Clary murmured.


	34. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just got a new puppy and school is hitting me repeatedly in the face, I've got a club, and a play where I'm working as a props assistant, so my updates won't be as frequent. I'm trying as hard as a I can to keep up, but things have gotten hectic. Sorry, but I'm not giving up on any stories, don't worry.

"You're  _sure_  you're okay?" Val asked.

"Angels don't get concussions," Shu reminded her.

"Well for an angel, you sure don't act like one. At least not anymore. For both our sakes' it's good that you're not causing misbalance to the universe, but in turn your powers seem to be weakening as well."

"Demonic presence…balances me out. That's how it was a long time ago. With Charon, at least."

"When do I get to meet my famous father?"

"He vanished from the loft one morning, not sure where he went, but he never even  _talked_  to me."

Val chuckled. "If we didn't know any better, I'd say that  _he_  was the Owl."

"Well, glad that we know better."

"Did you find anything suspicious about him?"

"Demons don't sleep, and he should've  _long_  since recovered from any corruption. The ley lines have been fixed, and he  _could've_  been possessed or infected or something, but Charon's more resilient than that. Then again, Magnus and I think we've been sensing a dark power, something  _much_  worse than Charon, something much more powerful."

"Who?"

Shu sighed. "My mother.  _Adoptive_  mother, of course. My human mother is long since dead."

Val shook her head. "Well, who's that?"

"Someone who might very well be capable of affecting a Greater Demon that way. Lilith."

There was a small gasp from across the room and Val looked up. Her eyes scanned the room carefully, before she raised her hand and a black throwing knife appeared. She chucked it across the room and threw it at the wall, where a man shimmered into existence as he twisted out of the way to avoid it.

"Charon?" Shu asked.

"That is  _not_  Valak Mataecharonsan!" Val shouted.

She thrust her hand forward as a wave of energy shoved him up against the wall as the imposter strained to break free.

"Who are you?!" Val demanded.

"Please…please let me explain…" He wheezed.

"Val, let him go," Shu ordered. "Let your minions keep him in the room, but we can't interrogate him like this."

Val eyed Shu before dropping her hand, simultaneously dropping the imposter to his feet again. He took deep breaths. "Thank you."

"Now start talking," Val hissed.

He flinched and looked down. "It's…it's hard to explain."

"Then simplify it."

He sighed. "My name is Kandai. I'm an exiled Greater Demon."

Shu shook her head. "That's impossible. Kandai died ages ago. I killed him with a blast that no creature could survive, let alone recover from."

"I can prove it. Please, just…I need your help. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you, but Ren needs me and I don't know what to do!"

"How?" Shu asked. "H-How can you prove it…?"

"Shu, be careful," Val warned. "This could very well be a trap. He's a Greater Demon,  _anyone_  can wear that face and say they're going to explain to get you to let your guard down."

"Susu, it's  _me_ ," Kandai begged. "Remember the flower I gave you? Blue, glowing with angelic energy. We didn't know at the time, but that flower's angelic properties were why you liked it to much. It was why it never withered, it was how…it was how the demons figured out what you needed to be complete. I got it from Ren - he's an angel."

Shu stared for a long moment in shock.

"Shu?" Val asked.

"Ren'ai."

"Yes!" Kandai exclaimed. "Yes, how did you…?"

"She told me," Shu muttered. "The Demon Queen."

' _That poor sod was an ostracized Greater Demon who fell in love with an_ angel _of all creatures. Everyone warned him that angels don't love demons unconditionally. They're deceptive, only care about their own kind, and love is impossible for them. But Uncle Kan didn't listen. Fell in love with this guy…Renèe? No, no, that's not right. It was fancier than that. Ah! Ren'ai. And angel who couldn't help but fall for a demon. They even_ married _for heaven's sake, eloped and ran back to the mortal world to hide out and pretend to be humans. Honestly, what were they thinking?_ '

"You married, ran to the mortal world to hide."

"That was the plan, yes," Kan nodded. "It happened after you…well, after we lost you."

* * *

_A small girl, who must've barely been able to walk, wandered through a tall field of crops. She had planted and tended to the fields, but she was curious to see what laid beyond her small farm._

_Around their ranch was a sea of wheat, but when Shu had first gotten curious and struggled her way up a tall tree, she had seen specks that looked similar to her house in the distance. Her mother had told her she had never been beyond the fields, but she didn't care if Shu went. Probably because she hoped that Shu would leave and be killed by the demons, never to return._

_Shu wandered blindly through the endless fields, the wheat much taller than her. She liked how it poked at her skin, the scratching rather stimulating for her, though she couldn't explain why. Her mother delivered her nothing but harsh abuse, however, this small stinging felt nice and easy compared to that._

_She was so focused on the serene feeling, that she didn't notice when she bumped into a man's leg. He was even taller than her mother, and he smelled much different. She got a powerful aura from him, and quickly backed away._

_She said no apologies and gave no excuses, as she had been taught that they only made a situation worse, and only watched to see if the man would ignore her in disgust but decide she wasn't worth his time, or if he'd follow after her to beat her._

_She had no idea of the difference between genders yet, however, this person seemed much stronger than her mother, and the danger he posed was even greater, if his aura was anything to go by._

_When he stepped for her, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the coming blow._

_"Are you okay? I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you."_

_She felt something gently touch her shoulder and flinched, but there was no pain like usual. His aura was definitely more intense than her mother's - what she was used to - but it didn't seem to be doing any harm. In fact, it seemed to be empowering her in an odd way, it felt good, like the pain of itching a scratch being relieving._

_"Do you understand me? I am not good at mundane speech."_

_Slowly, she looked up and flinched back to see the man was much closer than she expected. His eyes were chocolate brown, his hair a shade lighter. But there was something else in them that he sensed, a sort of sadness that he wasn't trying to hide, but it was being covered by a feeling she wasn't used to. Her mother's angry glares had been all she'd ever known._

_But that dark look in his eyes was familiar. She saw it every time she'd look into her reflection within water._

_"I…speak."_

_"You speak this tongue?"_

_"Ton?"_

_"Tongue. I mean, language."_

_"Lang…langu-age?"_

_"Sorry. I see you know this tongue just about as well as I do."_

_His speech suddenly changed, though Shu couldn't pin down how._

_"How about this? Is this easier to understand? You've got demon blood, so I'd assume you speak our language naturally."_

_"Yes. I understand you. Mama always speaks like you were before, and so I've learned a little, though a lot of what she says I merely have to guess what her meaning is."_

_"Ah, you're fluent in this language."_

_"I suppose so. What's a language?"_

_He looked to her curiously, his head tilting to the side slightly, before he smiled. "It's just a way of speaking to someone with different words having a certain meaning. If you understand what someone is trying to explain to you, then you know the language. If what someone's saying is just a bunch of noise, then you don't understand."_

_She blinked in confusion, trying to process what he was saying. "Huh?"_

_"It's not important."_

_He smiled to her, and though she'd never seen what a smile was before, nor understood what it's purpose was, it made him look really trustworthy. She'd never known a person like him before. Maybe she was dreaming._

_"Who are you? What are you doing in the fields?"_

_"I'm Kandai. As for why I'm here…I'm not really sure. I got kicked out of my home, back in the city over that way, and so I've wandered through these fields for a while until I found you."_

_"My home and Mama are that way," She said, pointing. "You wanna talk with her?"_

_"No. I shouldn't bother you if you're going somewhere. Perhaps to the city?"_

_"What's a city?"_

_"Those things over there. The buildings."_

_She looked over to the things that looked similar to her house. "No. Mama and I don't go near the other people."_

_"Why not?"_

_"They're mean, Mama says."_

_He sighed. "Yeah, they are."_

_"You've met them?"_

_"Yes. And they're not nice to those they don't like. But you look like someone who no one could possibly hate."_

_She looked down. "Mama doesn't like me. She…she hates me."_

_"That can't be possible."_

_"She hurts me. She wants to kill me. But my body refuses to let her."_

_She rolled up the sleeve of her dress to reveal a forearm full pf bruises and scratches in the process of healing. He took her forearm frantically, and she flinched back from the sudden movement._

_"How could-? Even a demon mother wouldn't ever do such a thing."_

_"Mama is no demon. I know that."_

_"You're right," He said, gliding his fingers gently over the wounds. "She is far worse. No demon would ever harm their children in such a way. If they didn't like them or was disappointed in them, they'd be thrown out or forced to serve a slave, doing extra work and labor under another to make up for any crimes they've committed."_

_"Mama makes me work too."_

_"So she makes you work and shames you, but also gives you such injuries?"_

_"It's normal for Mama."_

_"Well it shouldn't be."_

_She looked over to the setting sun and jumped. "I must go! If I'm late, Mama will be mad!"_

_"You can't possibly still go back there day by day. She lets you roam free, you could run and never see her again."_

_"I have nowhere to run, and the city you speak of is worse than anything. Mama may be different than them, but she is only one, and I know how to deal with her. Please, stay away and don't let her know you're near. I fear she will punish one or both of us should you be caught. I'll come visit at the sun's rise tomorrow, if you will stay."_

_"I will. I've got nowhere else I'd rather be."_

_She nodded and ran back to her house in the distance, and Kandai stood from kneeling down to her, wondering just who and what that child was._

* * *

_When Shu returned to Kandai, they began to share experiences, information of where each were from and what knowledge they had. Kandai began teaching Shu of many things that she had yet to understand._

_After growing up with her mother, Shu had never known what a gentle person was like, when they didn't scold her for such simple things or punish her when she spoke or acted without permission. It took a long time, but gradually, she opened up more and more to the man she found herself quickly trusting._

_At one point, she had run from Kandai after his demonic aura began to show. Another man had been coming through the fields from the city, and Kandai got into an argument with him before suddenly, he got angry and his aura exploded in rage. It wasn't even the scary sight that terrified the little girl, but the wave of power that washed over her just from sensing him, seeing the gentle and kind person she'd begun to open up to losing it just like her mother would._

_So she turned and fled._

_She didn't dare venture further than her farm after that incident, managing to keep out of her mother's sight, but also too afraid that Kandai would hurt her even worse. If he got angry at her, her mother's abuse would be put to shame, seem like a luxury._

_But after many sun rises and sunsets, Kandai came to the farm, peaking his head gently out from the wall of wheat._

_"Shu."_

_She jumped and fell to the ground, backing away._

_"Hey, no, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry for what happened. I was afraid that man was going to hurt you, so I scared him off."_

_"Y-You hurt him instead?"_

_He hesitated, before sighing. "Yes, I hurt him a little. But just to make sure he didn't come back to hurt you ever again."_

_She looked over him, before she heard her mother's footsteps and jumped to her feet. "She comes. Hide!"_

_She pushed Kandai into the wheat field once more, waiting until her mother's footsteps had receded before she relaxed. She had no idea what her mother commonly did while she was gone, but she didn't dare spy and risk her wrath._

_"I apologize for my actions previous that had scared you off," Kandai said. "Perhaps we could begin again."_

_He seemed to remember something before reaching to his jacket's coat pocket and pulling out a flower with blue petals that almost seemed to glow._

_"Accept a token of my apology?"_

_She looked at the object in his hand curiously. It smelled really weird, but not in a bad way, just in an unfamiliar one. But her senses seemed to like it, and she reached out slowly to touch it. When she made contact, it felt like she'd taken a breath of fresh air._

_She looked to Kandai, whose face was pleading for her forgiveness. She saw his concern, how he was afraid of what would happen if she said no. She felt a pang of sympathy, though she had no idea what the feeling within her was or how to describe it. She just knew that she trusted him, that her fear was gone._

_"Yes," She said. "Perhaps we could begin again."_

* * *

_"This is a rose."_

_"Row-sssss?"_

_"Rose. A friend of mine told me to give it to you. He can't come here, but he says hi."_

_Of course, Shu wasn't surprised to hear that someone couldn't come and visit her. If it weren't for Kandai, she probably wouldn't have known anyone else existed accept her mother, especially a person being so kind._

_"Who?" She asked._

_"Someone I trust, and who wishes the best for you."_

_"Is he like you?"_

_"Yes. He saved my life once. And if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here."_

_Shu assumed that meant he would've never been able to find her, and so she nodded. "Then I like him too!"_

_He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. "You should get back to tending to the fields. I can help if you'd like."_

_She shook her head firmly. "No. It's my job. I can do it. I_ can! _" She insisted almost desperately._

_"I don't doubt your ability, sweetie. I just get lonely, and I like talking with you. You mind if I stay and talk with you while you work?"_

_She thought about it for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "Okay!"_

* * *

_The vision flashed through the two's encounters, from the moment they'd met to the moment they'd last parted. They saw Kandai's perspective from that final day, when he came running through the wheat fields excitedly to take Shu away from this terrible place._

_But then he saw her being taken away by a group of demons, and ran to assist her. Then, he saw the girl he'd watch grow up scream, the air pulsed with power, and suddenly Kandai could feel nothing but pain._

_Then nothing at all._

_But then he woke up. He couldn't move, he felt nothing but pain, and he thought he had been banished to the deeper layers of Hell, where it would take years for him to reform._

_At least, until he saw a beautiful face above him and heard a soft voice. "Hey, are you awake?"_

_Kandai tried to move, but everything stung and hurt. He must've just been dreaming while deep in Hell, his physical body gone as he had been banished into smoke._

_"Easy, love. You're alive, but you're really hurt."_

_"Ren…?" He realized._

_"Yes," He said quickly. "Yes, it's me. Gods, I was so worried when you didn't come back from Edom that I…I came after you and found you…"_

_"You…you came to…E-Edom?"_

_He nodded._

_"Ren…you…you could've…"_

_"I'm fine."_

_Kan forced his eyes further open and let them adjust to see his boyfriend's face. But it was different. His skin was red and burnt, scarring in patches._

_"Ren…!"_

_"Hey, don't strain yourself. I'm fine. You're the one that needs medical attention. I'm healing fast."_

_"You mean…i-it was worse?"_

_"No, no! That's not what I…I mean, yes, it was worse, but that's not what I meant to imply. I'm stable and only getting better, but you neeed to stay still and let my potions do the work. Where's your ring? It should've healed you gradually over time if it were still with you, no matter how damaged you were."_

_He looked down and noticed that it wasn't there. He felt empty without it on, like he was missing a piece of himself now that his finger was empty. He felt bad for losing it, especially since Ren had given it to him when he'd proposed._

_"I don't know," He admitted._

_Ren sighed. "Well, what matters is I found you in time. Gods, if I hadn't gotten there when I did…"_

_"You saved me?"_

_"Yeah. I brought you back home, and we're in your room. Our room, I suppose."_

_He mustered a smile but winced as his skin stung._

_"Anyway, you're gonna be okay, but no moving."_

_"Where's Susu?"_

_"I don't know. I've never met her so I don't know what she looks like, but there was no one else on that farm other than you and a dead mundane woman."_

_"That must've been her mother. Those people…there were other demons there that took her. She could be being tortured. We have to find her."_

_"We will. But you need to heal first."_

_"I don't want you going anywhere near Edom no matter how well you're doing."_

_"That makes two of us."_

_"But I can't leave that little girl to suffer."_

_"I fear the two of us won't be enough to lead a search and rescue. If the demons that took her are great in both numbers and power, we won't be able to take them head on, and I doubt sneaking is safe either. The moment we make a move against them, we'll never be able to escape them."_

_Kan sighed and leaned his head back. "Then what do we do?"_

_"We hope. They probably won't kill her because they need her and her power to work for them, but I think you've already helped her by strengthening her will. If she can survive their…encouragement, then she might be able to figure out her abilities and escape on her own. If she does, we'll definitely know about it. But I think that's all we can do. If we don't want to end up dead, that is."_

_Kan sighed. "We can't do_ anything? _"_

_"There are people higher up than us at work, and we can struggle and scream, but some of us aren't loud enough to be heard."_

_"Ren-"_

_"We both know what happens when an ant attempts to challenge the gods. They'd never stand a chance."_

_He leaned forward and took the angel's hand. "I'm sorry. I know what you've been through, and I know you're scared. We won't go looking for unnecessary trouble, I promise."_

_"I know she means a lot to you, but…I don't want you hurt. It's selfish. But I care more for your life than I do hers."_

_He nodded solemnly. "If we go try and rescue her, we won't stand a chance. At least if we stay back, we might be able to see her again."_

_Ren nodded slowly too, before a moment of silence settled upon them._

_"I, uh…I made you dinner. I'll go get it."_

_"Thanks," He said half-heartedly._

* * *

"You survived," Shu muttered.

"Barely. If it weren't for Ren, I wouldn't have."

"H-How? I-I mean…I was so  _sure_  that you…"

"I don't know. He's an alchemist, so he works magic I won't claim to understand."

"Angels bringing back the dead is one thing, but an angel bringing back a Greater Demon after…after what  _I_ did?"

Kan shrugged. "You can ask him yourself, one day. Me? I didn't really care. We were both alive, we had to move on together."

"Where is he now?"

Kan looked down with a hopeless look in his eyes. "With your demon half. With Namir. She made me take a blood oath so she wouldn't harm him…" He collapsed against the wall with his head in his hands, sobbing. "I  _have_  to do what she says, I'm sorry!"

"What did she tell you to do?" Val asked suspiciously.

"So far? Find my ring. You apparently took it from me when I nearly died. It turns angelic energy to demon-compatible energy, among other small things. Imagine the chaos she could create having that on her side. Not only would  _you_  be powerless to harm her, but anything infused with angelic power will be converted to her power if she comes into contact with it. Any demons are under her command already. She's at the top of the hierarchy. She'd become unstoppable."

"I don't have the ring with me," Shu realized. "I gave it to Charon for his protection."

"Where's this Charon that I keep hearing about? And why does everyone think that I'm _him?_ "

Shu sat on her bed. "He was sent by my father to gain my trust, taking my memory of you and using your face to do so. My mind had been broke after all the…torture, experiments, manipulation that they did to me. I knew that I trusted your face, that much I was sure about. So, he taught me about my powers, about the world, and eventually we fell in love."

" _That's_ …gotta be awkward."

Shu chuckled. "Kinda. When I found out the truth, I was so angry. I thought everything had been a lie. And yeah, it  _started_  that way. Everything about him was meant to be a lie. Then somewhere in the middle, it wasn't anymore. But in my anger, I went a little off the rails. He convinced me to give him another chance, but took my memories of the event for my own good. We parted ways for a while. He was my friend who I called on like any other demon, but recently things happened and we got back together, he gave me my memories back, and we started fresh again."

"So where is he now?"

"If you're not him, then…the last time I saw him was when he'd been affected by the corrupted ley lines -  _ages_  ago."

"My dad's not exactly easy to track down," Val said. "If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. He can hide from even the strongest of demons."

"So I guess his disappearance has been a blessing of sorts," Shu summarized.

"Not for Ren!" Kan snapped. "If I don't give Namir that ring soon, he's going to be tortured to no end! He's already weak enough, but I  _can't_  be responsible for letting that happen to him!"

Shu fell back on her bed and sighed. "Okay, let's think about this. We don't know where Charon is, and we could always summon him, but we  _have_  to consider the possible damage that this might cause."

"And  _can't_  let him suffer. This wasn't his fault, it's  _mine!_  He has  _nothing_  to do with all this!"

"Look, even if we give her the ring, we don't have  _any_  fire-power against her that'll come close to being useful," Val pointed out. "You and her are equals at the moment, meaning that you are the  _only_  one that stands a chance of  _stopping_  her. What happened last night, you losing your power, it's going to tip the scales in her favor already. You  _can't_  live like an angel - you'll lose your mind, your  _humanity_."

"I don't have any humanity," Shu corrected.

"Wrong, you  _do_. When you were one person, the angel and the demon inside of you cancelled each other out, making enough room for your humanity to shine through - all that time you spent on the farm with your mother, meeting Kandai, whatever. Then, once they'd unlocked your true power, your humanity was pushed deep inside your heart and you began to go all cosine on them, up and down, angel and demon, before you began to tear yourself apart. Namir left you and became the Demon Queen, leaving the angel inside of you to be countered by Charon. Then, your humanity showed again. Once you had your falling out with Charon, it was your soul bond with a Downworlder that kept you human. But even now, your humanity hasn't left you. It's been split across you and Namir, already small and weak compared to your celestial powers, but now it's been split in half! It's extremely weak, but it's  _there_."

"A-And now that you're here, ever since I met you, it's…been showing again…?"

Val nodded. "Now you're getting it."

"So…what do we do?"

"Angelic power won't work on her if she gets this ring, and demonic power will only make her stronger."

"So we  _can't_  give it to her?"

"There are  _many_  more powers other than angelic and demonic."

Shu's brow furrowed in confusion.

"How often have you been to Faerie in the past few millennia?"

* * *

" _Jace_  is the  _Owl?!_ " Izzy exclaimed. "How is that even  _possible?_ "

"This whole time, it wasn't his mental health," Alec realized. "He was  _possessed_."

"By an extremely powerful Greater Demon, who gave him the ability to turn mundanes into demonic killers," Magnus continued.

"We've defeated Greater Demons before. We'll do it again and free Jace."

"This is not just  _any_  Greater Demon," Shu informed them.

"Clary was able to draw an image of the beast, and it matches  _this_  image from the Silent City archives," Magnus announced, showing them a clearer sketch of the demon that Clary had encountered. "The demon is Lilith, Queen of Edom."

"Adam's first wife," Shu finished.

"Adam, as in  _Garden of Eden_ , Adam?" Izzy asked.

"The one and only." She sighed and shook her head. "I  _knew_  the scent was familiar. It's ' _Mother_.'"

"Mother?" Simon asked.

"She's the  _mother_  of all demons. She wished to become  _my_  mother too, back when I was down there. Long story, but I have a demon and an angel half. Circumstances have recently split us. I'll inform you now that I am  _certainly_  not the demonic half. Which means that Lily dear has a partner. We call her Namir. Good thing about having a long name is you can split it up for different personalities. In any case, she took up the mantle of the Demon Queen. While Lilith is the  _mother_  of all demons, Namir is the actual queen in command of a good deal of them. Both are powerful in their own respect, and if they're working  _together_ -"

"They're more powerful than anything we've ever encountered," Alec summarized. "But of  _all_  people, why  _Jace?_ "

There was a silence among the group, while Shu nodded for Clary to do it. Clary hesitated, but her eyes were red as she held back tears.

"Alec…what you felt that night…when your…parabatai rune disappeared…you were right. Jace  _did_  die. Valentine killed him."

"I  _knew_  it," Alec snapped, though he wasn't happy to be proven right.

"But if he died, how did he come back?" Simon asked.

Tears ran down Clary's face. "Because I made a wish to Raziel."

Everyone shifted nervously. "You made… _the_  wish?" Izzy clarified.

"I  _had_  to," Clary said desperately. "I  _had_  to. It was the  _only_  way to bring him back But it…"

"It made him vulnerable," Shu finished. "To Lilith."

"To this beast that nearly  _murdered_  Ithuriel."

"What?" Izzy asked.

"Because of  _me!_  Because  _I_  summoned him. Because I was trying to help Jace…" Her voice broke. "Alec, I am  _so_  sorry! I should  _not_  have kept this from you. I  _know_  what position this puts you in with the Clave, so if you wanna send me to the Gard…I understand."

"Clary, no!" Simon hissed.

Alec's gaze was dark as Simon flinched under it. Magnus turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose, Izzy leaned against the desk they were at in the weapons' room, Clary bowed her head submissively, and Shu pursed her lips.

Alec slowly moved around the table to face Clary. Everyone held their breaths, but Shu gave a small smile. Alec then pulled Clary into a hug, which she wasn't expecting.

"I would've done the same thing."

* * *

Namir sat in one of the old chairs of the newly dubbed Church of Talto, watching as the police woman gave her blood after sacrificing her mother or something. She was sitting in the chair backwards, boredly watching as the ceremony was completed. Well, that was easy.

Of course, they weren't done yet, but the blood sacrifices were done. Whoo.

What now? Flesh of that Valentine's day guy or something?

And why hadn't she gotten the freaking ring yet? Namir knew she had complete control over Kandai and Ren'ai, but first she needed to get the two of them together. She had always planned to release Ren'ai for Kandai to have a little extra motivation, but the whole Ithuriel situation had complicated things. If Lilith killed an angel of Heaven, she'd be declaring war on  _all_  the angels. That kind of attention was  _not_  something that they needed.

Now that Ren'ai had her special brand of the mark, his pain would be completely controlled by her. But the angel was still running around like a chicken with its head cut off in the city, the weakling.

She needed that ring. She needed it soon. She needed her fun, and she needed it  _now_.

* * *

"Last night…Ollie's mother was found in her apartment…" Luke reported. "…stabbed to death."

"Luke…there is  _nothing_  you could've done," Clary said.

"Wait, Jace was able to reverse Morgan's possession, remember?" Izzy pointed out. "If we can find Jace, maybe he can save Ollie."

"No, we  _tried_  that. He must be using his antitracking rune."

"The Owl wasn't exactly  _shy_  before," Magnus said. "If we're able to somehow contain him the next time he makes an appearance, we might be able to relieve him of Lilith's influence."

"How the hell are we gonna contain him?" Luke asked.

"When I took over as weapons master, I read about a piece of Clave technology that never made it into the field," Izzy announced. "It was called the Malachi Configuration."

"Malachi the  _traitor?_ " Alec clarified.

"He invented a type of cage for Greater Demons."

"Blech," Val cringed. When everyone looked at her, she shrugged and took a step back. "Continue."

"Now, it's just sitting in the Alicante Armory," Izzy finished.

"So we go there and we get it," Clary declared.

"What? You expect the Clave to just hand it over?" Luke asked.

"No…but Imogen might." Everyone looked around with nervous glances. "She's Jace's grandmother. We can trust her."

Shu shrugged. "Jace is the latest descendant of the Herondales. I'm sure Imogen will be encouraged to keep the bloodline alive. Even if others protest, the Herondale line ending would still be a good excuse, perhaps. There's no harm in trying."

"Izzy and I will go with you," Alec said.

"And we'll go try and find a cure for Jace," Magnus stated.

"Magnus told me that Clary saw another angel that barely managed to save Ithuriel's life," Shu said. "Alec says that he fled from the Institute, but an angel down in the mortal world is  _very_  dangerous. We need to find that angel. We have our suspicions as to who this angel is, and finding him is imperative. If anyone knows how to fight Lilith, it'll be him."

"Meanwhile, we're figuring out ways to fight Shu's demon half," Val added. "She's immune to demonic magic and energy of every kind - meaning warlock and Seelie magic even will be useless against her, and vampires and werewolves won't help much either. She also may have protection against angelic energy, so Shu and even you Nephilim won't be able to do any damage. But…we think we've got a third type of power that might just work against her."

"You get on that," Luke nodded. "Before the Owl got a hold on Ollie, she had a location lead. If I can find Lilith…I can find Jace."

* * *

Magnus, Shu, and Val were walking down the hall to leave the Institute, Magnus trying to be invisible as possible. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that it was his fault for giving Lilith that potion to make Jace fall out of love with Clary.

"Magnus! Hey!"

Magnus sighed and started speeding up his pace, but Shu grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, stop it. You're  _not_ running away from this."

Shu patted Magnus on the shoulder as she nodded for her and Val to keep moving, heading out the front doors and waiting for Magnus there.

"Magnus…" Alec began when he caught up.

Magnus sighed. "What a fool I am. If I hadn't given her that elixir…Jace would still be Jace."

"Magnus. Lilith…would've gotten to him with or without you. You can't put this all on yourself."

"I  _will_  fix it. I will use the last drop of my power if it's the death of me."

Alec stepped forward and pulled Magnus into a hug. "Thank you…" He hesitated. "About our fight…"

"Alexander…"

"No. I was  _wrong_. I said things I shouldn't have."

Magnus swallowed. "As did I."

There was a moment of silence as the two of them simply relaxed into each other's arms, wanting to forget the world and their problems ever existed.

Magnus let out a deep sigh and pulled away. "But that's not important right now. What's important is that we save your parabatai."

Alec nodded solemnly.

* * *

"So this is your adoptive father?"

"More like the guy who's been worthless all his life," Kandai sighed. "But nice to meet you all the same."

"Right. So, what was that plan you had in mind?"

"I'm calling in a guy who owes me a favor," Val informed them. "He's got magic that's a bit different than angelic and demonic power. And he's…got  _unique_  abilities to say the least. If anyone can defeat Namir, it'll be him."

"Are we  _sure_  giving this ring over is a good idea?" Magnus asked again. "We're basically giving her immunity to everything but the slim chance your friend has."

"It's not slim. He has a partner. If he brings him, we'll have an even  _better_  chance."

"Whatever your plan is, this is a  _big_  risk."

"We can't let Ren'ai suffer!" Kandai snapped.

Magnus put his hands up. "Okay, okay, I understand. If it were Alec, I'd probably do the same."

"For now, let's work on that spell for Jace," Shu said. "I've enlisted Luke's help with the police force to look for a missing guy from a mental institute - considering that this angel that escaped the Institute is wearing all white."

"You don't think…I mean what other angel would be on Earth, so weak that he'd have to run around rather than just teleport back to Heaven?" Kan asked.

"It's possible the angel is Ren, but the only way to be sure is to find him."

"Before Namir does?"

"I'm not so sure she ever lost him. All it takes is a simple spell and she can torture him from any distance. You said your deal allowed you any time you want with Ren?"

He nodded. "I was supposed to go back for meals, dinner at the least, but I was trapped here. I passed out the first nights, in an out of consciousness, but by the time I'd fully woken and healed, I looked around for my ring and hadn't found it. After that, I cloaked myself and hoped to hear if you knew of its location."

"Then Val choke-slammed you against the wall."

"It was my pleasure," Val bowed.

"Nice weapon, by the way," Kan said, holding up the throwing knife she'd summoned. "Only Greater Demons have access to-"

There was a knock at the door. "That your friend?" Magnus asked.

"No, he'd  _never_  use the door. Likes to make an entrance."

"Must be Cat," Shu announced, waving her hand. "Come in!"

The door opened and Cat walked in. "Got your fire message. Let's do this thing."

* * *

"What about a variation on a healing spell?" Cat suggested, flipping through a spell book.

"It's not that simple," Magnus declared. "My elixir's already taken hold of him."

"Magnus, you can't blame  _yourself_."

"Of  _course_  I can. I  _knew_  there was something off about that warlock…I should've followed my gut."

"You were manipulated by Namir," Shu reminded him. "She has a stronger variation of the soul bond than I ever did since she doesn't have angelic power interfering. Look…your mind was twisted to think what she  _wanted_  you to think. Your mind was…taken over. Your gut instinct was diminished, even thrown out the window. She never let you suspect anything, you probably didn't even find it odd that I was there, that I looked back to my old self, that the soul bond was there again."

Magnus sighed. "I suppose I  _did_  feel this…overwhelming urge to just have things back to normal again. So much so that I was manipulated easily. I let this happen."

"The past is the past," Cat declared. "But you and I both know, you're powerful enough to  _reverse_  this."

"Well, that's the  _problem_. I'm too powerful for my own good. I'm too powerful for  _anyone's_  good."

Magnus added some ingredients to a brew in front of him. It glowed red before suddenly blowing up and releasing the energy in a puff of red.

Magnus sighed. "The elixir is irreversible."

Cat walked around the desk she was at. "Jace was  _already_  compromised before your elixir ever touched his lips. It's not gonna be  _easy_ , but don't act like you're some helpless 40 year old warlock. You're  _Magnus Bane_. Now, I've gotta get home to Madzie. The babysitter must be  _exhausted_. But don't give up. Do what you do  _best_. Think  _outside_  the box."

Cat walked out and Magnus let out a deep sigh.

Shu patted him on the shoulder. "Inspiration comes at the weirdest of moments. All you have to do is stay determined."

She kissed his temple.

"I'm gonna go check on Val and Kan, see if they haven't murdered each other yet. Not to mention make some food. Warlocks should never work on an empty stomach."

"Thanks."

She smiled. "Things'll be back to normal eventually. One way or another, I'm gonna drag Namir kicking and screaming back into me so we can be one again. Asushunamir will be in the house soon. You'll see."

He chuckled. "I look forward to it."

Shu left the room, leaving Magnus to start grabbing some more ingredients to begin once more.

* * *

When Lilith screamed, Namir simply plugged her ears and drank another sip of wine.

"Two of them vanquished, just like that! How has he the mark?! It-"

"You mean  _this_  mark?" Namir asked, twirling the staff with the mark in her hand.

Lilith stared. " _You_  have it-?"

"I stole it from the people who put it on the Daylighter."

"Why did you not  _tell_  me of this Daylighter?!"

"I  _did_ , but you were too busy with your little ceremony to listen to me. I said 'Caution,' you said 'Fuck it,' and here we are. So, you ready to listen to reason?"

* * *

With a whoosh, the living room was suddenly occupied by Jace inside a glowing square of swords with Alec and Izzy outside of it.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Magnus muttered.

"Ooo, fancy," Val commented. "I like it. Smells like blech, but I like it."

"Only demons can smell it," Kan said. "The four positions of the blades work like a pentagram for demons - though it focuses  _angelic_  energy, rather than demonic - to be exponentially more powerful. Gotta hand it to the guy who made it, he was smart."

Jace chuckled lightly, the insanity in him showing. "You really think that this… _thing_ …can contain me? You're even stupider than I thought."

"We're gonna save you, Jace," Alec declared.

"Good luck. It's only a matter of time before Lilith finds me, finds  _you_. You'll all be dead by sunrise."

"I don't think so," Izzy declared. "We will batter her with  _everything_  we've got. We won't let her take you again."

"When your… _delusional_  confidence gets you killed, I'll be sure to tell your mundane boyfriend that you died in a  _tragic_  jewelrymaking accident."

" _What?_ " Kan asked, his face cringing in confusion.

"That…is a story for another day," Shu declared.

"At least he's safe from the Clave," Alec muttered.

"For the time being," Magnus agreed hesitantly.

"Hey, guys?" Val asked. "Wasn't there a red-head with you?"

"Where's Clary?" Shu realized.


	35. Ren's Adventures in New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter where I basically spell out Ren's story from the passages I made in 'Angels and Demons.' It has small tidbits of Ren's journey in New York, but nothing too necessary should you want to skip the very long chapter that this has become.
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy Ren's little tangent.
> 
> I've been held up with a puppy for the past week and it's slowed my writing significantly. Not to mention the fact that I'm being bombarded with work from school and I'm a props assistant in a play and have to be there until 6 PM for each rehearsal. I've barely got time to myself, and any of that time usually gets eaten because I have to make sure my puppy doesn't kill himself or destroy my house, so I apologize if my updates for all of my stories become less frequent (the chapters for my Shadowhunters story - The Five of Them (But Really Only Two) are premade, so they'll still be coming).
> 
> :)

Ren wanted to stay in his hiding place forever. He wanted to let the world fade away and simply forget. But he heard the clanging of a door opening and someone opening the trash bin he was hiding beside. Luckily the person opened it from the other side and never saw him, but he knew that his location was compromised.

He knew that the sun should have risen, as he'd escaped from the Nephilim facility near late dawn, but clouds had come in and it was becoming humid. Ren knew that the rain would be coming soon.

Sure enough, he felt droplets tickle his skin and he ran for cover. Other humans had devices to protect them, but Ren was left exposed and out in the open. Sometimes, Ren loved the rain. It wasn't as though it was deadly to him in any way, but it was cold and best not to waste his energy on drying himself or keeping the rain away. He was already weak enough, and he needed to save his energy with all he had.

Ren ran up to a large structure of rock that provided shelter. It was carved by the humans, most likely as a monument of some sort. Ren collapsed against it, columns supporting a large slab of concrete above him with a building at the other side. He tried to find a hiding spot where people wouldn't see him, and listened to the trickle of rain around him.

Suddenly he took it all in. He was alone, afraid, clueless as to what he was supposed to do, stuck in a world he didn't understand, and he just wanted to find Kan, take him away from all of this. He wanted it to just be them again. He wanted everything else to just…fade away.

* * *

Ren didn't know that he'd fallen asleep.

_Did angels dream?_  He'd once asked that question. There was once a point in time where he was incapable of sleep. When he was banished, he learned the answer one way or another. Mostly, he just had memories. Now was no exception.

* * *

_I heard a storm._

_That's right, it was raining on the day we met._

_I walked through the forest, searching for some herbs. I might as well try and live a life here, if this was where I was going to be stuck for all eternity. The problem with being an angel was that even when I was as weakened as I was, I was still very hard to kill._

_I was immune to disease, it would take millennia for me to die of hunger or thirst, I still healed ten times faster than any mundane - unless the wound was specifically made by a weapon of anti-angelic power - my power would sustain me underwater for months on end, I could be tossed down from the sky to the ground and still recover from the impact within a few hours, and extreme heat or cold would make me miserable, but wouldn't be able to kill me._

_I was still an alchemist, a hobby that was still entertaining for me. Now that I was in a new land, I might as well take the opportunity to experiment with the new flora and possibly fauna. I'd already checked out the plants near my home, and a made a bunny friend who seemed to be following me around despite my urgings to go home._

_Eventually, I accepted the bunny and named him Bun-Bun because I lack proper naming skills. BB, for short, I supposed._

_I tried to keep my mind off of how much I missed home, but it was kinda hard with everything around me reminding me that I was in a different land. Even when I was in my house, it only made things worse because I woke up the first few weeks thinking that I was still in Heaven, and that my banishment had just been a dream._

_The pain ate away at me from the inside out every moment, and I occasionally broke down, crying myself dry or destroying some things in my lab, having to clean the damage up afterwards. At the very least, I was able to bottle some of my tears for use later._

_BB seemed to sympathize with me, even though he was just a little baby bunny and didn't know how to communicate yet. Angels could understand all creatures, but while humans communicated through speech patterns, other creatures communicated through gestures or basic survival understandings._

_I sighed. "You're lucky, BB. You only ever have to focus on your survival. Meanwhile I have too much brain power and I'm able to understand way more suffering. Ignorance is bliss, my little friend."_

_The bunny gave no reply, but he did give a look of confusion. He didn't really interpret my speech as anything more than noise, but he knew when I was referring to him at least._

_I noticed that the skies were darker today and worried about my little bunny. He insisted on staying beside me though, even as I put him in the little bed I made for him and told him to stay put. I didn't lock him in my house, as he was free to leave me whenever he wished, but he instead wanted to stay by my side and helped me look for different plants._

_When I felt a raindrop hit my wrist, I quickly bottled my samples and grabbed BB, putting him in my jacket pocket for safety. I was afraid that he wouldn't like it at first, but he seemed content and adjusted to the jostling rather fast._

_I was heading back to my house when the rain started pouring down. The trees offered a bit of protection, but I had to use my aura to keep the rain off. My power had been growing stronger as I used it without Heaven's aura supporting it, but it was still something that I had to be careful with. Still, a small task like waterproofing wasn't too hard._

_When I reached my house, I was surprised to find there was a person slumped against the side of the building. It looked to be a male form, but he smelled…powerful, in a dark way. I sensed a demonic aura from him, and I hid back behind the trees._

_What was a demon doing here? Wasn't it bad enough that one of them got me cast out of Heaven, but now they were haunting me in my exile?_

_The demon should've been able to sense me, but he didn't make any motions. He seemed to be asleep, and if it weren't for the slight rhythmic movements of his breathing, I might've been convinced he was dead._

_BB seemed to be getting impatient, poking his head out to look around and see if we were home yet. He saw the demon, though he didn't seem deterred. Animals of this world were able to sense demons and angels, and BB had some good intuition, but he had never been so rash as to try and jump out of my pocket._

_"Bun-Bun!"_

_I quickly caught him before he fell all the way from my breast pocket to the ground. I wasn't the tallest angel, but it was still more than enough of a drop to hurt the poor thing._

_He squirmed free of my grip, running across the ground over to the demon._

_"BB!"_

_I ran after him and snatched him up, hugging him up against my chest despite his squirming to get free._

_The demon noticed us, his head rising slowly. I took a few steps back, but he had already spotted us._

_"Why are you here, demon?" I demanded, trying to sound confident._

_I didn't have the strength to summon anything to defend myself, and I was a pacifist, so I didn't like weapons or the idea of fighting at all._

_But the demon merely sank back against the wall again. "So this is my punishment. Please, make it quick, angel."_

_"What?"_

_"Kill me. I don't care how, but I request you make it quick. I need not more time suffering the shame of being at the mercy of an angel."_

_I blinked in confusion. So he_ wasn't _here to kill me? Or maybe he was here to trick me like the one before._

_"What do you mean? Why are you here?"_

_"I have transgressed. I have been thrown to an angel who shall kill me."_

_I looked around, unsure of what to do. Even if I_ wanted _to kill him, I wasn't really sure that I had the energy to do anything fatal. Besides, it didn't seem that the demon was hostile. It was entirely possible that he was just trying to see if I would let him live and then make fun of me if I didn't, but at the moment, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him._

_If a creature as vile as he could wish for death, then what could have happened? He said that this was his punishment. Irony, perhaps, that this was where I was sent for my punishment as well._

_I hadn't found any traces of mundane life, and I questioned whether this truly was the mundane world or just some sort of artificial prison, so possibly this was a place of limbo, torture for angels and demons alike. Not that I knew much about demons other than what I'd been told and tried researching._

_I had done all the research I could, but angels knew very little about demons since they wanted to pretend like they didn't exist. My curiosity for them is another piece of evidence used against me in my trial. I only did my investigations to help, make sure that we weren't blind to the demons should their numbers grow large enough to pose a serious threat._

_Still, even with all my efforts, I had yet to do proper experiments on a real demon before. I wasn't one to kill anything, but perhaps this demon would accept punishment instead: being the subject of my research._

_It was the only idea I had, since I wasn't going to kill this guy, but he didn't look like he was going to leave any time soon and_ _wanted_ _some kind of retribution for whatever he'd done to be sent here. I did sense that his aura was weaker than the demon that had tricked me before, and though I knew I should be cautious, he couldn't really do anything to make my situation worse than it already was._

_That's what I told myself, anyway, but there was something else within me that trusted him. I couldn't place it._

_Despite what I really should've done in my situation, especially after all that had happened with me and demons before, I slipped my bunny into my pocket and moved to pulled the demon into my arms and pick him bridal-style. He was a little taller than me, and lot more fit, but this was just my current physical form, and my real strength came from my powers within. Considering I'd been training up my aura again, he weighed nothing._

_"H-Hey! What the Edom?!" He shouted, squirming in my grip._

_"I have to bring you inside. The rain makes this an unsuitable location for anything, acting as an inconvenience to you as well as me."_

_"Didn't know an execution took a proper setting."_

_"I have no intention of killing you. I must do some experiments. It's not every day I get the opportunity to have my own demon at my mercy. If I am the one to decide your punishment, then I choose not to kill you, and rather to keep you."_

_"Do all angels use the shaming technique? Of keeping us like pets?"_

_"Most of the time. But should any other of my kinsman have found you, you would probably be sent back to where you came from as some sort of bargaining chip."_

_"So you're much worse."_

_"So I've been told. However, I'd imagine that going back to the people who banished you is truly a punishment, especially for demons."_

_"You know nothing about demons. Do you believe us savages?"_

_I pushed open the door and then closed it behind me, walking over to the couch in the living room to set him down on. "Please, do enlighten me."_

_"We do what we do for survival. We are treated like monsters because we are different, nothing more. Lilith was cast out of Eden for being who she was created to be, for sharing her opinion and refusing to be nothing but a slave. Adam treated her like a pet, a servant, when they were born to be equals, and accused her of not being complacent, as though he owned her. She was supposed to be his equal, but she was cast out just for being a woman, as Adam could've very well been banished as well from Lilith's perspective of the matter, and replaced with Eve. I bet your big boss regrets making_ _her_ _, huh? She and Adam got kicked out of Eden for good reason. They deserved it."_

_"Humans are a flawed species, but they are diverse. They have the ability to expand and adapt, move beyond survival instincts and open their minds to other ways of life, even if it can take many centuries, millennia, or more. Our species cannot change; we are born not wanting to. Both of ours."_

_The demon chuckled._

_"What?"_

_"I expected you to make a quip about how Lucifer was the one to get Adam and Eve kicked out."_

_"That's true, but it was Eve who believed him and ate the fruit despite her clear order not to. And Lucifer was a fallen angel. I can see why he'd be angry. In any case, enough with the history lesson."_

_I walked over to my lab in the room next door, grabbing some empty jars off the shelves and returning._

_"Okay."_

_I plucked some hairs from his head and put them in one jar, labeling it._

_"Ow, man. Little warning next time."_

_"Sorry. This won't take much longer. Now, I'm gonna need some blood, skin, nails, and saliva."_

* * *

_As I was labeling jars, BB hopped out of my jacket pocket and landed on the demon, who jumped and shoved him away, taking shelter at the opposite end of the couch._

_"What is that creature?"_

_"It's a bunny."_

_"A what?"_

_"I call him a bunny, anyway. You stay away from him; he'll stay away from you."_

_"Uh…okay."_

_He slowly relaxed, but he was still staying at the far end of the couch. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of a little, harmless bunny, scaring the demon so much simply because it was a foreign species._

_"So, are you gonna let me go eventually, once you're done getting your stuff?"_

_"If I find no more use for you, sure. For now, there's much I can do with these samples, though trial and error will most likely result in numerous need for refills."_

_"And what if I just got up and left? What then?"_

_"The walls of this house are enchanted with angelic energy. If you want to risk walking out without permission and risk being burnt to a crisp, be my guest."_

_He crossed his arms and sunk further into the couch, grumbling something to himself._

_"So, do you got wings? I heard angels have wings."_

_"We keep them sheathed for safety as well as convenience. They're heavy, you know. Especially if you have more than one set."_

_"How does that work, anyway? What dictates your number of sets?"_

_"The higher you are in the hierarchy, the more you get. They're a symbol of your rank and power."_

_"I hear archangels are supposed to have more than one pair, but what_ are _archangels?"_

_"It's complicated. It depends on how much you've done to earn your position. We're born into certain places on the hierarchy, but can move up or down depending on who we are and how dedicated we are. It's never easy, but it's possible."_

_"So you're a scientist? Does that mean you're pretty high up? What are you doing in a backwater place like this?"_

_"I'm here…for research. This world is very unique, and I'm the angel that gets his hands dirty by coming to such '_ backwater _' places, as you put it."_

_"Yeah. I didn't expect an angle to be brave enough to approach a demon, let alone make contact or conversation."_

_"You're harmless to me. And even if you weren't…well, dying in this place doesn't seem like much of a bummer."_

_"I'm guessing you're an outcast?"_

_"What do you mean by that?"_

_"You're the guy who sticks out, and people don't like you for it."_

_I sighed. "Yeah, basically."_

_"And so people probably wouldn't mind if you died."_

_"Yep."_

_"So you're here…what? To get out of their hairs and be left alone?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Because to me, you look more like the guy who was banished here because you were different."_

_I flinched, and he laughed in his success. "Ha, so we're_ both _here because of that then."_

_"What did you do to get here, then?"_

_"Me? I…well, I had pity."_

_"Pity?"_

_"There was this little girl who was beaten, told she needed to suck it up. But she was so young, barely born before she was nearly drowned and whipped. I wanted the others to take it easy on her, but they said she needed to learn what it meant to be a demon and continued."_

_"That's terrible!"_

_"Yeah, even for us that's harsh. I expressed my concerns, but was brushed off. I was banished from my city, but I accidently stumbled upon her and her farm. She was a cute little child, and she had been born and raised to believe that punishment was a normal thing, expected for the simplest things. It's true we have a harsh society, but the point of being a child is to learn from your mistakes, and we demons are_ raised _to cause hell when necessary. She was just so submissive, it was terrifying. When I discovered that it was actually_ her _that I had met, it was when I got kicked out of Edom to this hellhole."_

_"Perhaps I can help you get back to her."_

_He scoffed. "You're an angel. What makes you think you can make some kind of portal back to a city of demons? I doubt you lazy arses know anything about us."_

_"I'm the angel that gets my hands dirty, remember? I haven't been shy about my studies into demons, but now that I have actual samples, I might be able to make some serious progress into angelic and demonic powers. Quite possibly I could harness my angelic power and make it compatible with demonic origins."_

_He looked extremely surprised, blinking a few times before hiding his face behind his knees and looking to the side. "W-Why would you want to help me? We just met, and I'm a_ demon _for crying out loud."_

_I looked to BB, who looked like he was stalking his prey as he stared blankly at the demon at the other end of the couch. I don't know why I trusted this demon, but even after all that I'd been through, I didn't see the threat. Perhaps that was a natural quality of a demon, seeming completely harmless against all odds. But I had nothing more to lose. This demon could kill me or torture me, take my experiments, or anything else he could think of. How much lower could I fall? Everything I did now was pointless. I had no more friends (unless you included my bunny), family, or life._

_If I could befriend him, then why not? If he betrayed me, I wouldn't be very surprised, and at least I could pretend to have a friend for a little while longer before I died. It was only a matter of time before I was killed. Might as well speed up the process and lessen the suffering._

_So, I simply shrugged. "What's there to lose? I'm banished. It's not as though the angels can punish me for conspiring with a demon, as I'm no longer within their jurisdiction. And if you're to betray me, so be it. Like you said, death is a better punishment than living in the shame of being cast out. Besides, I'm curious to see if this will work. Might as well."_

_He stared at me for a long moment, and I began to shift awkwardly under his gaze._

_"A-Anyway. I'll go get some food. It's made from this place, so it should be harmless to you if it's harmless to me."_

_I hurried out of the room, suddenly extremely nervous as to what he was thinking. He didn't have the same look in his eyes as_ him _, but it was still unnerving in a way. It was the curiosity of a demon, one that could swing either way, harmless or deadly. There was caution and hardness, but also confusion and interest._

_And his face didn't look hostile, not really._

_If anything, it looked extremely ho-_

_Stop it! No! Bad brain! Don't make the same mistake_ again!

_I breathed and quickly gathered some food for the two of us and made some tea. Did demons like tea? What if he didn't? Could demons even taste at all? Another great test to add to the list._

* * *

When Ren woke, it was to someone poking him with a stick.

He groaned and opened his eyes to see a man in a uniform of some sort holding a stick that resembled an L shape but with the taller part overshooting, or maybe a T with one side of it extending too far.

The man said something, but Ren couldn't understand the human language.

"I speak the language of the celestials. Your speech cannot reach me."

The man seem to understand that Ren didn't understand and started miming his words. He pointed down to represent the location they were in, and then shook his head 'No.' Luckily that hadn't changed meaning within the years Ren had been imprisoned, and he understood that the man was telling him he couldn't be here.

Ren sighed. "Okay. I'm sorry."

He stood and moved to leave. At least the rain had stopped.

Ren looked around the city. He couldn't read the human language anymore, he couldn't speak their language, and he had no idea how their society worked anymore. It had been so long since he'd interacted with humanity, and they had clearly changed. Women were wearing outfits resembling men's clothes - they were allowed to wear something  _other_  than long dresses that covered their legs and feet. Both men and woman's fashion seemed to have advanced significantly. Now, the humans almost seemed to have caught up to the angels.

They had technology, Ren realized. Phones, tablets, computers…cords coming out of their ears? Perhaps they were plugging themselves in to their electronic devices. Had they really become so advanced so quickly? Or maybe he'd simply been imprisoned for longer than he'd anticipated - and he knew he'd been away for a  _long_  time.

Ren walked in the same direction as most of the humans were, looking around the large city. How would he find Kan?

His heart clenched as he thought about the demon. He wanted to hug Kandai, he wanted to kiss him and tell him that he loved him. After everything that had happened, Ren never dared to do so back when they were imprisoned. He had barely been able to move, he was so weak, and though he might've been capable of speaking, he didn't dare let Namir hear him tell Kan he loved him. It would be a sign of defeat, that he'd given up. He wouldn't give up if Kan was still willing to go on. The Greater Demon had enough hope for the both of them combined despite their overwhelming odds. The least Ren could do was fight back in his own way.

But now, Ren couldn't sniff out Kan's scent when there were so many other scents in the world. There were half-demons, cursed humans, undead humans, and faeries in varying numbers all scattered about around the city. It made Ren's head hurt if he extended his senses. He was out of practice.

He tried to get away from the artificial world, look for some hint of nature, and found a park. There were signs, but Ren couldn't read them. All he knew is that it was quieter here, there were even animals wandering around. Animals Ren could deal with.

He walked into the park and looked around for some animals. Whatever the place was, humans seemed to be preserving it, having built their city around it. He found some birds first, but they simply asked him for food. Did the humans feed the birds around here too? What nice people!

"I'm sorry. I don't have food."

The birds gave passive shrugs and flew off in search of other humans that might feed them. Ren found a squirrel next, who stared at the angel curiously before scurrying up his leg and coming to rest on his shoulder.

Ren chuckled. "You're full of energy, aren't you?"

The squirrel chittered and then climbed down, scurrying up the nearest tree and disappearing. Ren sighed and continued to wander the area. Eventually, Ren  _did_  see some other people who waved. Ren held his hand up and that seemed to satisfy them. He'd keep that in mind - humans held their hands up like that to greet each other.

Ren came to the edge of the park to another street where humans drove their contraptions. Ren saw a little animal running across the street, just as a larger vehicle came down the road. It made a loud noise to try and scare off the animal to get out of the way, but the furry creature simply froze in terror. A surge of panic flowed through Ren as he realized what was about to happen, and he ran for the street just to see the creature run over. Ren heard it squeak in pain before it suddenly went silent and the human contraption continued onward.

Ren rushed over into the street and kneeled to find the fluffy creature resembled a bunny - the bunny he'd had all those years ago during his exile. Instantly, Ren put his hand to the dead creature and pumped his energy inside it, mending its broken bones and returning its blood back to the body, sealing any wounds. In moments, the bunny was glowing white and then came back to life, making a small noise as it shook its body as though stretching after a nap.

Ren was unaware that his bunny could make noises like that, but he assumed that it was just an evolutionary trait that happened in his absence. Come to think of it, now that the animal was fully healed, it  _did_  look a bit different than his old bunny. So this was what bunnies looked like nowadays.

"Hi little one. You're okay now."

The odd bunny wiggled its small tail and pawed at him appreciatively. Ren chuckled and picked it up, being careful because it was so small and delicate. He quickly deduced that it was a boy, and since no one else seemed to be looking for the bunny, he started to think of names.

"You look like…hmm…Tobias? Hmm…Tidus? Yeah, that sounds like a good name. Uh…and your last name will be…Nico…Nicholas. How do you like that, little one?"

The bunny yipped happily and wiggled in his grasp.

"Okay Tidus. Do you have a family?"

The bunny gave a small hum.

"No, huh? You're lost? Me too. If you've got nowhere to go…how about you come with me? I'm looking for someone, and once I find him, we can try to run away together. Of course he's got that blood oath that he stupidly took for me…" Ren sighed. "But he took that oath because he loves me so much. And I really love  _him_. If the roles were reversed…stars, I'd do the same thing."

Ren hugged his new pet, which helped him as he imagined hugging Kan.

There was a loud noise that Ren recognized as the horn of one of the human contraptions, and he remembered that he was currently standing in the streets where they passed. He quickly waved an apology to the drivers and ran to the sidewalks where pedestrians would traverse.

"Where do you think we should look, Tidus?"

The bunny wiggled in his arms, looking around at the city from his new perch.

"I guess I can't communicate with any of the locals. Hmm…those Nephilim that I ran from…they had angelic runes. Weak ones, for sure, but angelic runes all the same. They don't have the advanced ones, but  _I_ certainly do. Then again, I don't want to waste a lot of my power, so their weaker ones may be beneficial. Let's see, what was that 'Speak in Tongues' one?"

He put his finger to his forearm and thought of the rune as it instantly burned itself onto his skin. He smiled as he listened to the chatting people. He put on another rune to be able to read as well as hear and speak, so he then decided he was set. Of course, he could activate and deactivate the rune so that he spoke in Enochian as well as the human language, just in case language barriers actually came in handy.

"Hello! Hi! Greetings!"

Ren said warm hellos to everyone he passed, elated as the humans said hi back and he got confirmation that his rune was working. He got a couple of them to smile, even if others scowled and were suspicious of him.

Ren was too weak to sense most of their pain, but he knew it was there. He resisted the urge to use the little reserves of energy that he had built up to help the people he passed. He knew the dangers that imbalance to the universe might cause.

Still, there were some people that he helped manually, putting his new bunny on his shoulder where it seemed content. Everyone thought Tidus was adorable, of course, and Ren knew that he would protect his new pet for as long as it lived.

When Ren found some Downworlders, he asked for someone who could help him locate a demon. In the end, he learned about warlocks, werewolves, and vampires - putting labels on the new creatures so that he could identify them (faeries, Seelies, etc. having existed in Ren's time as well, so he knew who and what they were).

He was directed to the High Warlock of Brooklyn (Brooklyn apparently being the place he was located) and given directions to his home. Since Ren had no idea what an address was or how Brooklyn worked, a warlock opened a portal and took Ren through. She wished him luck and then disappeared through another portal as Ren looked up at the large house that belonged to the High Warlock.

Ren walked up to the door and knocked gently before the door opened itself. He saw no one there, but he carefully stepped up to poke his head through the doorframe.

"Hello?!"

"I  _thought_  I sensed an angel."

A man came walking down the stairs, and Ren's angelic eyes saw a soft dark aura around him. His powers weren't at their full strength yet, especially after healing his new pet and casting his translation rune. Ren could definitely tell that he was a warlock, spawn of a human and a demon, but the humanity in them made most good people.

"I'm looking for the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I was told you could help me find someone."

"That depends on who this someone is, and who you are."

"I'm Ren'ai, and I'm looking for the Greater Demon Kandai."

"I see. And why would one as powerful as you be seeking  _my_  aid? Don't your kind believe us with demon blood to be just as malicious and tainted?"

"There are good and bad in this world, I know that for sure, but blood doesn't make one either immediately. That rumor was born because the majority are raised by their kinsman, the habits and traits being passed down. However, there is no guarantee. There are those who learn from their forbearers, learn to be better, or learn to be worse. I prefer to see for myself who someone is, to never believe in rumors. I know what warlocks are, but that doesn't mean I know who  _you_  are, or that woman I met on the street, or the man I saw at a store. Though each hold demonic blood, they are far from demons. They are also part human, and humans, I've learned, can be quite amazing if given the chance to prove themselves."

The High Warlock gave a wry smile. "Well, it seems you're quite philosophical."

Ren smiled. "I'm an alchemist - I like to think a lot."

"An angelic alchemist. Interesting. Please, come this way. Tell me of this Greater Demon you seek."

* * *

_His name was Kandai._

_He was a 'Greater Demon,' a demon above some of the lower classes._

_He was quiet and reserved, less violent than the other demons and he himself was interested in the science of angels. He played instruments quite well, and we were able to play pieces together that actually sounded pretty decent. He loved reading up on all of the notes I'd taken from my experiments, and soon, the bookcase was beginning to fill with his own notebooks as we worked together._

_I barely knew him for more than a day, he was a Greater Demon - the same kind of being that got me kicked out of heaven - and yet he was suddenly my best friend. The possibility of everything being a lie always remained, but I continued to tell myself that there was little else that could hurt me at this point, that I might as well take what I could get._

_By the end of the week, the two of us had a routine. Kandai would sleep on the couch, I would sleep in my room. When we woke up, we would take turns introducing each other to the kinds of food each of our species liked for breakfast. We would sometimes eat while writing notes and thoughts we may have had - but no food in the lab, of course (something I've have to scold Kandai for) and then we got to work._

_Days passed in a blur, weeks, then months. Kandai merged into my life so quickly I didn't even remember when he stopped becoming that stranger demon I picked up outside and turned into more my friend who I was living with to help pay the rent - though we obviously didn't have to do any paying._

_Kandai was shy at first, unwilling to do many things less out of caution and more out of depression, feeling that nothing was really worth it. It's not as though I hadn't felt the same way about things ever since I'd fallen from home, but once I saw the characteristics of depression on someone else, Kandai in particular, it suddenly inspired me to cheer him up, stay on the bright side._

_He did open up, eventually, and though we always had our concerns, we made some kind of silent agreement that we'd be fine if we betrayed each other, but until then, we might as well be friends._

_For some reason, it was just so easy to get along with him, to bring him into my life. Perhaps that's because I felt my life was already over, so why not? But I couldn't really place the feeling, not really. I dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, this demon wasn't like the last._

_We weren't very fast in the lab at first, adjusting to each other's work style, but mostly because we were always talking about stupid things and playing around rather than taking the work seriously._

_"So you actually fell asleep?"_

_"For only a few minutes!"_

_"You woke up when the bell rang! You told me!"_

_"He had to have been most of the way through the lecture at that point."_

_"He had just begun! Now you're contradicting yourself."_

_"So was it much more interesting in a demon school?"_

_"We don't have school. We just learn as we go. Anything mandatory for life is something that we're bound to learn on our own because it's…well, it's essential for life. Why go to a school to learn things and get help, have your hand held all through your childhood only to release you into the world not actually knowing a thing?"_

_"But it's gotta be hard learning everything from scratch on your own."_

_"That's the point. You learn the hard way the way the world works. Everything else you learn could just be rumors and such, but there are facts in the world that you can't deny. You have to learn that the world is tough, that there are going to be challenges, and you have to be raised ready to face those challenges as they come, improvise, accept, and adapt. That's what it's like to be raised as a demon."_

_"So you live your lives based on the concept of survival. It makes me question what we base our ways of life on, in turn."_

_"According to rumors down in Edom, you angels just live your lives in luxury. You never give thought to the rest of us who have to work hard and suffer to make do. When people beg for your assistance, you never give much, just dangle bait in front of those who are on their knees to keep them submissive."_

_"I suppose that's what we are, really. We take for granted all that we are, never think that out there others are just as smart, just as powerful, and we seem to think we're definitely the higher species."_

_"Is that what_ you _think, though?"_

_"I don't know what to think anymore. Meeting you, talking all of this stuff out - it makes me realize just how arrogant we are. Of course, I always considered myself less arrogant than the rest, but even I took for granted all I had. At…least, until I lost it."_

_There was a moment of silence as Kandai twirled his pencil in thought. "Say, I've been meaning to ask. You don't have to if you don't want to, but can you show me your wings?"_

_"My wings? Why?"_

_"I've never seen angelic wings before. We all assume they're beautiful, but we all debate at how big they are. And if you have more than one set, are they all the same size? Do they ever get in the way and knock into each other when you're flying? Do you have to actually concentrate on beating each wing? Is there a limit to how many sets you can have? If you have a lot, do they get smaller? Do you grow them pair by pair, or do you have an expected maximum number given to you when you're born?"_

_"Okay, slow down. What's with the curiosity?"_

_He looked down. "Well…there are rumors that there are some demons that are powerful enough to gain wings. A demon like that…it just started making me question if the wings of a demon worked like the wings of an angel's."_

_"So…does this mean you've…_ met _a demon with wings? I'd assume that's what got you so curious."_

_"Yes, I have. And…they didn't understand their wings very well. That's what got me interested in angels, actually."_

_"Does this person…this demon…happen to be…you?"_

_Based on the way he tensed up, I got my answer._

_"Kandai, you have wings?"_

_"Demonic wings, yeah. But Greater Demons don't just_ get _wings. Wings are inherited, there's no way to predict them. Demons in general just…don't have wings. Lucifer was a fallen angel, so he doesn't count. There are dragon demons, sure, but they're low-ranking, and we're talking about…_ real _wings. If someone else - another demon, I mean - has ever gotten wings before, it's not on record."_

_"And you don't know what to do with them?"_

_"The only thing I've learned is how to hide them. I was really little when they first emerged, and I locked myself up for months while I tried to get them under control."_

_"When wings are first grown, they have to…they tear out of your back. Usually we have preparations that you have to go through to make it easier, but…"_

_"I thought I had some kind of wound, maybe a friend had played a prank on me or something. I saw two marks on my back at my shoulder blades, but thought little of it. I thought they'd heal. They didn't. I screamed when they emerged, and someone nearby came to find me. They looked terrified, and planned to run and tell the council. I killed them before they could."_

_"That must've been horrible."_

_"What? The murder or the wings?"_

_"Both! What if you were caught and tried for murder?!"_

_"Oh, the murder was normal for demons. If someone's killed, they're killed. If they're a higher class than you, sure, you could get in trouble, but if they're the same level or lower than you, killing is fair game."_

_"We'll talk about the injustice of your legal system later. What happened after your wings emerged?"_

_"I ran and hid. At first, they were really heavy and I couldn't balance very well. They were numb, so I couldn't feel anything on my back. I eventually washed them off in a river since they were covered in gross stuff, but they hurt to move around."_

_"Most angels go through a course in school to learn how to work their wings."_

_"Yeah, well I was terrified and clueless. It took me ages to get them under enough control that they weren't jumping around to the beat of my thoughts."_

_"They'll reflect your emotions no differently than your face."_

_"And I was constantly scared of what would happen if the demons found out about me and I was taken in."_

_"Did they find out? Is that why you're here?"_

_"No. If they'd found out, I would've never left."_

_"Can I…do you mind if I see them?"_

_He hesitated a moment before sighing and hopping off his seat to walk back into the living room. I followed cautiously, moving in front of him as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath._

_Behind him, his wings emerged. They were each twice his height in length - though that was normal for wings - and the feathers were midnight black with a slight blue tint at certain angles. They were large, though that was also normal. He wasn't able to fully expand them as he was restricted by the size of the room, but they were-_

_"Beautiful…"_

_Kandai looked up in surprise, before pulling his arms and wings close in embarrassment. "They're demon wings. They're probably nothing compared to your angel wings."_

_I shook my head. "No, they're…they're unique. I've never seen anything like them. Can I…?"_

_I couldn't help but reach out to touch one, but he flinched back in surprise._

_"Sorry! They're sensitive. You haven't used them a lot. You haven't even groomed them."_

_"Of course I haven't used them. I wouldn't know how, and every moment they're exposed is a moment I might've been dragged away and locked up."_

_"Well, now you're free. You don't need to fear them."_

_He looked to the floor and sat down. "Can you…maybe…teach me about them?"_

_"Uh…sure. For younglings just getting their wings, you learn that they're going to reflect your emotions, they're going to seem to have minds of their own, and you have to learn to groom them regularly, no different than you would a pet. If you want to fly with them, you have to make sure the feathers are in good condition to withstand the wind as well as your weight, and you can waterproof them with."_

_"Okay, so how do I groom them?"_

_I moved and sat in front of him. "Well, you have to straighten the feathers first. Yours are a disheveled mess."_

_"Can you show me how?"_

_"Uh…it's not exactly a process for someone who's not close to you. Wings are one of the greatest weaknesses of an angel."_

_"You and I have a mutual agreement that either can do whatever they want to the other. You could cut these things off for all I care."_

_"No! No…these are…I'd never do something like that. Cutting off wings…that's the worst pain that an angel can face, and I'm sure you're no exception. It's just…grooming wings is an…intimate process."_

_"I don't care about your angel customs or whatnot. I just wanna learn how to do it myself and you won't ever have to come near them again."_

_"No, I don't mean that like it's some kind of custom only for married couples or something. I mean that…well, it's…just let me show you."_

_I reached out and gently ran my fingers through his feathers, working to pull out a couple ones that had already been torn out and repositioning those that were still attached and salvageable._

_The moment I did, Kandai instantly tensed up and his hands balled into fists as he tried to keep his composure. "Oh…" He choked out._

_"Yeah. You want me to stop?"_

_"No, no…Just…just show me…what I need to do…"_

_"Okay. You have to feel around the wings for loose feathers that have been plucked from the root but are still just stuck in the rest of them. Once they've been taken out of the way, new ones can grow, like teeth, but infinite uses and much faster regeneration. Now, near the base of the wing, here at the end, you'll feel that there's oil the wings naturally produce used for waterproofing the wings. It's like a duck. It's your job to constantly reapply the oil so that the wings stay sleek for both water and the wind when flying. You don't want feathers to go constantly flying, right? And it keeps them looking nice too."_

_"S-Says the guy w-who's wings must p-practically glow s-since they're w-white."_

_"Sure, that's how it works for angels, but yours have this blue tint to them, and the black is quite…different. I like them. I think they're amazing now, but once they're properly groomed, I know they'll look-"_

_I cut myself off before I finished when I realized what was just about to come out of my mouth. Was I seriously about to say 'Sexy?!' I'd never wanted to say that word aloud in my life! I_ wasn't _the kind of guy that ever went into that who romance thing. I had close friends, and it wasn't as though angels were forbidden to love, but it wasn't too common either._

_I couldn't think of any other word to replace it fast enough and recover, and so I just shut up and tried to think of something to change the subject with._

_"S-So. How about you try it?"_

_I pulled my hands away, covered in oil, and he gasped in relief. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get himself under control, as well as pulling his legs up to hide his lap. He reluctantly reached out to touch his wing, but when he made contact, he seemed surprised that he didn't get the same feeling as before._

_"You won't have any effect on your own wings."_

_He shrugged and began to search through the wings for loose feathers. "So, why does that happen?"_

_"Not sure. They're sensitive because they're delicate, but they're beautiful and help you fly. Once you train yourself and your wings up, you'll be able to control the feathers of your wings, harden them at will to make them into semi-decent shields, and even detach the feathers when you swing the wing as a projectile. All are built for self-defense, however. We're not aggressors."_

_"Unless you find something that threatens you."_

_"That's not…not how_ I _am, anyway. The other angels have debated whether we act under certain conditions."_

_His head fell, and his wings drooped. "The demons, they're provoking the angels, you know?"_

_"What? By making more and more? We figured that out long ago."_

_"No. By making a certain one that poses the greatest threat yet. That girl I told you about? The little girl who was beaten? She's an experiment that the demons created. I was in on the experiment, I'm a scientist studying angels, but I never met her, only heard reports of what was happening to her. You know the rest after that. I just wanted them to cut her some slack, but they wanted her to become a killing machine by any means necessary, including showing her no mercy. But she's not just any demon. She's the daughter of a mundane woman, injected with a potent dosage of blood from every demon in existence, as well as every angel."_

_"Angel? How would you get your hands on blood from every-?"_

_Then, I realization dawned on me. Me. That's how they got it. My experiments, my collection, my samples. That's what that demon who tricked me took. He took all of the blood samples I had from every single angel, years' worth of work and convincing that what I was doing was for a good cause. All of my work put into making a monster against the angels, while I was cast out for it all as well._

_"One of the other demons tricked an angel into getting the stuff. That demon's memories were erased of the event as 'punishment' when the angels randomly returned him. I guess you guys really are pacifist. Can't even execute a demon who tricked you."_

_"We don't do executions," I agreed._

_"Anyway, I'm not sure what that girl will become, but the demons plan for news of her creation to slip to the angels, and they're sure that they're going to take action."_

_"They're trying to_ make _us into aggressors?"_

_"Basically. After that, I'm not really sure what they hope to accomplish. All I can really say is they're putting all their efforts into making that girl a monster. I felt enough pity for her when I hadn't met her, but after I was banished from my city for expressing my concerns, I actually met her, and…and she was so kind, so innocent, nothing even close to a monster. And I thought, maybe she didn't_ have _to be one. Maybe she should be able to choose her fate, hopefully learn what it means to be kind. Even though she's been shown nothing but hatred, she's not angry, she's not hateful. I wish I could see her again. I wish I could show her."_

_"Show her what?"_

_"That there's more than just being some experiment, some slave. She shouldn't be spiteful, but she shouldn't be so submissive."_

_"I told you, I wanna help you. Remember our mutual agreement? I'm going to help you. I have no reason to, but I want to. It could mean my destruction, but so be it. I think I'm making some serious progress into the workings of our different species' powers and making a solution."_

_I plucked a feather from his wing and he flinched. "Hey!"_

_"Sorry, but a winged demon? How can I resist? The feathers of your wings and your wings themselves are invaluable! Perhaps this could be the key to connecting our energies in an un-hostile manner."_

_"You think mixing feathers from our wings might produce a result? I have to admit, that might actually be a smart idea."_

_"Well, I can't promise anything. Quite possibly, it takes more, but I'll get to work on it right away."_

_I rushed into the other room and pulled out a jar of my own feathers that I'd collected previously, and began working with them. Staring at my own feathers, I realized just how long it had been since_   _I'd even thought of home, missed it. In a way, I still did, but in another, I realized how nice it was to be away, to be living here with Kandai. Now, he was all I really needed. One friend._

_A friend who didn't betray me._

_Not yet, anyway._

* * *

_Kandai screamed as he fell for the eleventh time this evening. I winced as I_ felt _him hit the ground, before rushing over to help him up._

_"You okay?"_

_"How do the dragonites make this look so_ easy~?! _" He whined._

_"Sorry, but I don't know much about training the younglings to fly. I'm not a very good person to ask for tips."_

_"You're doing fine. At least I've gotten off the ground. That's something."_

_"Angels fly mostly by controlling the winds around them, and the wings only help with the surface area. They also are used to teleport. Just flap and suddenly you shoot to where you're aiming in a beam of light. I'm not sure if things are exactly the same with you."_

_"At least I've managed to gain a big burst of wind at take-off, so I shoot up into the air. I just can't sustain it once I'm up there since the ground's so far away that I can't push against it."_

_"You don't need to use the wind to push off the ground once you're up and away; you need to use it to push up against your wings - in a circular motion when hovering and a kind of wavy lifting pattern under the wings when flying. And you need to be able to keep your wings ridged and firm so you don't fall. They're malleable for the sake of convenience when you need to fold them away, use them for defense, or turn quickly in the air - they're also organic, not like armor or something - but otherwise, you need to keep your initial reactions from your sensitive wings under control. Usually, you take a class to help build up your wings' resistances and keep them still when under pressure."_

_"Maybe I'll try the different wind techniques. It's just…a little hard when in the air."_

_"It feels scary at first, I know. But you'll learn to not fear being away from the ground."_

_"Maybe for an angel it's easy, but demons don't fly."_

_"You can. You will."_

_He looked to me, confused. "Why…why would you…?"_

_He squirmed nervously with his head down, wringing his hands together._

_"What?" I asked._

_"Sorry. Demons don't usually…complement each other. Usually, it's taunts that you_ _can't_ _do something that encourage you to work harder to do so. To prove them wrong, to show them you're stronger than they think and that you deserve your place in the hierarchy. If you don't prove you deserve your place, they have the right to lower your status and such. I'm a Greater Demon. I can't ever afford to be shamed in such a way that I'm lowered to the status of a mere lesser demon. The embarrassment and dishonor would be…horrifying."_

_"Does that mean you're being shamed right now, being banished to this place?"_

_"No. It's because I'm such an important and respected Greater Demon that I've been sent here to die to an angel rather than be taunted by my fellow demons, walked upon like some low-life where I was once a high and respected member. Being humiliated by another race is better than being disgraced by my own. It's like…if you got murdered-"_

_"Well this escalated quickly."_

_"Shut up, it's metaphorical. If you got murdered by some random stranger that you didn't really know, it'd mean a lot less than if it was, say, your best friend who you've known all your life. The closer the relation the more effect their betrayal is."_

_"Well, we're of opposing species, no?_ _I_ _don't have to be mean to you. If your world works in reverse psychology to mine, I suppose being nice_ _is_ _my way of being mean."_

_He seemed to bit the inside of his lip. "Sure, but…that doesn't mean I…can't appreciate it."_

_"Well, anyone can become friends, no matter where they're from. Even if they're enemies, they just need to see each other's perspective."_

_He blinked in surprise. "We're…friends?"_

_I rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah. I thought that was implied."_

_He shrugged. "I guess…I never really thought about it. There isn't such thing as a '_ _friend_ _' for demons. Just those who respect you and those you respect. I know of the word_ _friend_ _, but I don't really understand it. I don't know what friends are."_

_"Friends are…people you trust more than others. There's not really a way to put it into words. It's different from just allies or people you can get along with. It's a bond. And there's such thing as 'best friends' too, people who are even closer. People willing to share secrets, even entrust their lives to."_

_He looked to the sky in thought. "People you trust, huh?"_

_I couldn't quite place why, but I saw a small smile creeping across his face._

* * *

"I've never met this Kandai demon you speak of, however I…might know someone who is old enough to have most likely heard the name at the very least. Her name is Asushunamir, one of the eldest and most brilliant women I've met. If anyone has the knowledge you need of this Greater Demon, she'll be the one to look for. I don't suppose you've heard of her?"

Ren put his hand to his chin in thought. "No, I don't  _think_  so. Maybe the name sounds familiar, but I can't recall anything at the moment."

"I'll give you the address."

"Oh, thank you."

"When you meet, her tell her that Lorenzo Rey sent her the business and wishes to speak with her soon."

"Sure."

Ren ended up walking out of the mansion with a slip of paper giving him an address. Though he could now read it thanks to his rune, he still didn't understand the road systems or streets. Even if he could read  _signs_ that told him which street he was currently on, it didn't mean he knew how to find the location that he'd been given. Maybe he'd go and look for that warlock to help him with directions again.

He walked through stores, and eventually found a giant mall that had multiple stores that Ren didn't understand very well. Although he knew the language, he still didn't understand the slang and his manners. He didn't know how he should be acting, but he saw people browsing the aisles of clothes, he did so as well. He grabbed things and tried to examine them, but he didn't understand why humans wore such things. Shouldn't they just need one type of outfit that protected them from certain weather? Were there this many conditions that they needed different varieties of garments? For the cold and the heat he understood, for rain and snow, maybe wind, but they certainly didn't need so many different options.

Ren found some sparkly things and couldn't help but stare. Had humans managed to harness small pockets of heavenly energy? Or were they just minerals with no magical properties? A lot of them were, but he found one thing that appeared to be special - a ring that looked so similar to the one he'd made all those centuries ago for Kan. Ren put his hand to the glass and wondered if it was the real thing. Ren couldn't sense its power, but maybe the glass it was in hid its powers. Ren looked over the ring again and examined the runes. No doubt, this was it. No one else could have access to those runes since he made them himself from scratch - runes that channeled angelic energy into demonic. A dangerous weapon in the hands of any demon except Kandai.

Ren needed to get it out of there.

He didn't understand the stupid contraption to open the glass case. It looked as solid as ever. But if those things got in there, there  _had_  to be a way to get them out. Humans didn't know magic, they weren't able to ever in the future without drastic misbalance to the universe, and if these things were on display like many other things around the store, it meant that it wasn't some secret rare powerful person that locked these up with magic. These things were expected to be that way by the humans.

Ren gave a heavy sigh and looked to the bunny on his shoulder. "What do you think, Tidus?"

The puppy yawned with a small squeak. He had no other thoughts on the matter.

Ren looked in the glass cabinet again. No other choice.

He punched his hand through the glass and grabbed the ring from the fake hand that it was displayed on. He heard a piercing alarm go off as a group of men in matching uniforms came rushing into the room. They were mundanes, but there were a good deal of them. Ren didn't know if they knew what they were guarding, but in this place where mundanes came to buy things, there had to be some level of security, Ren knew that much.

He knew that fighting them wasn't in his best interest - he might kill one of them by accident. So he did the only thing that he  _could_  do. He ran.

He started sprinting for the glass that led to the outside, and since he didn't remember which way the door swung, he simply crashed through, glass shards flying around him and the bunny on his shoulder squeaking in surprise and/or delight at his ride. Ren bumped into mundanes crossing his path, many shouting in surprise as the guards chased after him.

Ren was making his way through an alley with no people when he was finally caught. He was tackled from the side as he came out, and he realized that the men had split up and run around the buildings to surround his path. He was shoved to the ground, his bunny falling away with a yip. Tidus stood and shook himself off, shouting the funny noise that he made which Ren identified as him trying to come to Ren's defense.

Ren felt some metal clamping around his wrists - probably an attempt to restrain him, but Ren pulling his wrists apart with barely any effort and the weak metal snapped. He pushed himself up and head-butted the man that had tried to restrain him. He stood and snatched up Tidus, but another pair of hands wrapped around the animal.

Ren felt his pet being pulled away from him and panicked. He tugged back Tidus and kicked at the person who had tried to snatch his bunny. He nearly fell over, but managed to get his footing and started to run again. The ring, he couldn't lose his pet, but what they really wanted was the ring. Whether they knew about its properties or not, they had reason to get it back by any means necessary.

So he popped it in his mouth like a pill and swallowed it.

The next time he was stopped, it was because he was zapped by lightning. Or what felt like lightning. The mundanes somehow found a way to harness the elements without magic. Ren normally wouldn't have been so affected, but he was an angel that was weakened. He didn't know it, but his body didn't work well with tasers. It wasn't able to properly connect and disperse the circuit, and therefore he got a full 50,000 volts of fun while normal humans would've gotten only around 1,200 once they had been struck.

He might've been fine if he were at full strength, hell, if he were at a quarter of his strength, but the only power that he still had was just barely able to keep him alive. The rest of him was nearly killed as he passed out, and he felt a shock as his mark flared and the man that had used the taser collapsed behind him, shock with more than enough electricity to kill him instantly, Tidus still barking in protest as Ren's vision faded.

* * *

_I ran after Kandai._

_He'd made it further today. He'd managed to sustain himself in the air. Of course, the moment he realized his accomplishment, his excitement caused his concentration to waver and he came crashing down._

_But I was ready to congratulate him. It was almost as exciting as when_ _I_ _had first managed to hover properly in the air. Maybe it was because I was proud of my teaching skills, but really, it was just me happy for_ him _. He was my friend, after all._

_I wasn't sure where he'd landed, but I made my best guess and ran through the trees. "Kandai! Hey!"_

_I pushed through the branches and leaves of the bushes and trees alike, before I finally came out to an open area. My excitement suddenly turned to panic as I slipped and found myself tumbling down a ramp of rock._

_Rocks went falling down with me as I rustled the loose earth, and despite my efforts, I couldn't get a solid grip. I expected that I'd reach the bottom and be able to stand, dusting myself off and hope that I could get back up, but instead of finding the bottom of some crater, I ended up feeling nothing but open air greeting me._

_Reaching out with my adrenaline-enhanced speed, I managed to grab the edge of the cliffside that I'd rolled down from, but the rocks weren't stable or fully supported. I tried to carefully pull myself back up, but the rocks shifted and I screamed as they barely held on._

_Below was a long fall into a canyon. I couldn't see the bottom, though there was another stretch of land a good 50 meters down and 30 meters away, as though there were two continents and this was the large gap left between them. There'd be no way for me to jump to the other side, and though I knew that I wouldn't die from the fall, there'd be no telling how long it would take for me to get back up._

_I was an angel. I'd never been afraid of heights, afraid of falling._

_Until I was brought to the court of Heaven on charges of treason. Until I was told my verdict was guilty. Until I was told my punishment was banishment. Until I was sentenced to this place, thrown through a portal to this world as I looked my former best friend in the eye. Until I lost everything._

_"Kandai! Help me!"_

_I wasn't afraid to die. But ever since I'd met that demon, I had a life again. I found a reason to keep going. I hadn't thought about missing home in ages. I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want to fall._

_"Please! Kan! Help!"_

_I didn't realize I was crying until I tried to look up and saw nothing but a blur. I blinked quickly, scanning the cliff for any sign of Kandai. The rocks began slipping once more and I shouted in panic._

_"Kandai!"_

_"Ren?!"_

_His voice was far away, but close enough to hear my shouts, and my heart jumped. "Over here! Help me, please!"_

_I heard him running my way. "Ren?! Where are you?! Keep talking to me! I'm coming!"_

_"Look out! There's a cliff!"_

_I finally saw him push through the final greenery and kneel at the top of the ramp I'd fallen from. "Ren! Are you okay?"_

_"Help me!"_

_"Can't you fly back up?!"_

_"I can't fly, Kan! I can't!"_

_"Okay, stay calm! I'll…"_

_He looked around behind him frantically._

_"I'll be right back!"_

_He disappeared out of sight, before returning a few moments later with a pair of…sticks?_

_He jumped down the ramp before jabbing one of his branches into the loose earth and coming to a slow crawl. He stabbed his second in, using each of them to scale his way down. I would've been extremely impressed at his quick thinking and resource management (not to mention how cool he looked coming to my rescue), but I was more focused on the fact that the earth I was holding onto was very far from the stable part of the rocks and I was going to fall at any moment._

_"I'm coming," He called. "Just stay calm. Look at me. Look at me! Do_ not _think about the drop. Think about…your experiments. How do you make a…a potion for…a severed limb?"_

_"Is the limb recoverable?"_

_"Sure!"_

_"Well, you'd need to take some samples from the victim, and you'll need to understand how the autonomy of the person works, depending on what species they are. Then, you'll need to take some phoenix ashes or Ditto paste to help rebuilt the ties that were broken."_

_Before I knew it, he was slowly approaching the ledge where I was hanging from. He slid his foot closer as slowly as he could, trying to keep his one branch dug into a steady hold while reaching out his other hand and branch._

_"Think you can reach me?"_

_I braced myself and reached forward, but the rock I was hanging from lurched and I pulled my weight back into place. "No!"_

_"You're gonna have to try and jump."_

_"What?!"_

_"Try and get a foothold and jump to grab my hand. I can't go down any further without risking falling too, but if you can use the falling earth to give yourself a boost, we might be able to meet."_

_"That's a stupid plan!"_

_"Got a better one?"_

_"No, the plan thing is_ your _job! You're the hero rescuing me!"_

_"And I can't rescue you if you don't work with me."_

_The rocks were crumbing, the ledge coming down. "Okay, fine!"_

_I slowly pulled myself up and the rocks began to fall faster. I got a foothold above the ledge and jumped for his hand as the earth below me went down. I felt myself lose contact with the ground and felt weightless, but I didn't have enough forward propulsion._

_I missed his hand. I smacked my chin against the remaining edge of the cliff and couldn't grab on._

_I was falling through the air. There was nothing to reach for to stop my descent._

_I panicked._

_I had never fallen before. I had never been afraid of open air. And I had never dived without my wings. Not until today._

_And what I was most afraid of was that I'd never be able to climb back up. I'd lose what little of the life I'd gained back, the small life that I realized I had too late._

_I wasn't afraid to die._ _I was afraid to live. I was afraid of being alone._

_And I think, most of all, I was afraid of never seeing Kandai again._

_It was an irrational fear, as well as an unexpected one. But it was still the only thing I could think of as I fell. What if I couldn't be found once I hit the bottom of the canyon? If he tried following after me, would he be able to survive?_

_Heck, even I may not survive. Having been away from Heaven for so long, who knows if my aura was strong enough to survive such a drop?_

_But I couldn't do anything. I was helpless._

_And then he jumped down after me. His wings fully expanded, and the next thing I knew, he grabbed me. I gripped him tightly without even thinking about it._

_Was he planning to come down with me? Did he have a plan at all?_

_I didn't think about things like that, and only focused on feeling him. No matter what happened, he was with me. I just wanted him with me._

_And then the wind changed. I felt gravity increase as we lurched upwards._

_He was doing it. He was flying. Not hovering, not jumping with a little assistance -_ flying _._

_I opened my eyes (when had I closed them again?) to see that he was struggling with both of our weights, but he was pushing against the air as hard as he could. We made it over the cliff, and he flew us as far in as he could before we began to wobble in the air and he barely managed to come to a running landing and lying me down as gently as he could before collapsing next to me, panting hard._

_"You okay?" He asked._

_It took me far too long to process that he had said anything, still trembling from the shock of what had just happened. "I-Isn't that m-my line?"_

_He chuckled. "I'll live. You?"_

_I could only nod. After a moment, he grabbed me once more, pulling one of my arms over his shoulders before he struggled to his feet, pulling me along._

_"Shouldn't you…rest a little more?"_

_"We need to get home first."_

_It wasn't a long trip before we made it back to the house. BB seemed to have been waiting for us, as he was staring from the couch as we walked in and followed as Kan took me into my bedroom and set me down._

_"You're cut up pretty badly from the tumble you took, and you're jaw's taken a hit. I'll go get some-"_

_"No!"_

_I was gripping his wrist tightly. I wasn't sure completely why, but I knew that I didn't want to be alone right now. I couldn't help but feel like I was still going to be falling the moment he let go. Why was I crying? I was safe. I shouldn't be like this._

_"Okay," He said gently. "I'm not going anywhere, all right?"_

_He hesitantly came closer, and wrapped me into his arms. He scooted onto the bed next to me and let me grip him, sobbing and trembling. I shouldn't show such weakness to anyone, angel or demon, ally or enemy. But who cared anymore? This was Kan. Maybe it was our mutual agreement that let me relax with him, or maybe it was just the fact that he was my friend._

_"Why didn't you fly, angel?" I heard him whisper._

_I'm not sure whether he meant for me to hear him, but I choked out an answer. "I can't…!"_

_"Why not?"_

_"I don't…I don't have wings."_

_"What?"_

_"It was me…! I was the angel who was tricked! That's why I'm here! And I can't…when I was banished, they…they cut them off!"_

_"Your wings?!"_

_His grip tightened, but I welcomed it and simply nodded through my sobs._

_"My gods, Ren. How could they…?"_

_He wrapped his arms around me as if to try and hold me closer, to protect me from my memories even though he couldn't change what happened._

_"That's why you never showed me yours. That's why you never offered to fly with me while teaching me."_

_"I'm…sorry."_

_"Shh. It's okay. I know why you didn't say anything. An angel shouldn't go around telling demons their greatest weaknesses."_

_"You're not just some…demon I picked up off the street…anymore…you know?"_

_He chuckled, and I could feel his voice resonate while my head rested at the base of his neck. "I'm honored."_

_"You should be. I'm a…really special angel, you know? My love does_ not _come cheap."_

_"Yeah. I knew that from the moment I met you."_

_His grip began to relax and we just laid there in silence. I never realized how nice it was, just sitting in his embrace. He smelled really nice, too. Had he always smelled like this? Did all demons smell this good? His grip was protective, but not harshly so. Not like_ him _. Not like that first demon at all._

_"You think you're good?" He asked._

_"Shh. 'M sleepy."_

_"Sorry. I'll slip out once you're asleep."_

_"No. You'a good pillow. Stay."_

_He chuckled, disturbing my nice and comfy position. "I don't think it'd be right for me to sleep with you."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Uh, demon and an angel?"_

_"No one's judging us, Kan. No such thing as social status or whatnot when there are only two of us in the entire world."_

_"Yeah, but sleeping with someone requires intimacy, and I'm not sure how that goes for angels, but for demons, it's not easy."_

_"It's not intimate if you're comforting the wounded. Now shut up and sleep."_

_I felt his heartbeat increasing at my ear._

_"Stop it. S'loud."_

_"Sorry," He whispered._

_His heartbeat eventually calmed down (I made a mental note to check why he had a heartbeat. I mean, angels didn't have heartbeats. Heck, we didn't have to breathe) and I eventually relaxed until I fell asleep._

* * *

_When I woke up, Kandai was still there. I nearly panicked at first, remembering that he was gonna leave once I'd fallen asleep, but he stayed._

_"Hey, angel."_

_"Hullo," I muttered._

_I didn't want to get up, but I was at a point where I was too awake to fall back asleep, but too drowsy to want to fully push myself away from the warmth of Kandai along with the blankets that must've gotten there at some point, but I was too tired to think about it._

_"Good nap?"_

_"Yup. I was all unconscious and stuff."_

_He laughed, and with my head at his chest, that woke me up. "I'd hope so."_

_"You hungry? I'm hungry. Wait, I don't wanna get up. And you're not going anywhere, pillow."_

_"I'm glad to know I play such an important role in your life."_

_"You're my best friend/pillow. I'd call that an accomplishment."_

_"_ Best _friend?"_

_"We've known each other for months and you're growing on me. Besides, you saved my life. That counts for something, at least."_

_"So, does becoming a 'Best' friend require some ritual of saving one's life? If so, you angels must not have a lot of best friends."_

_"Nope. They're jerks."_

_"Well, didn't you have_ some _best friends before me? Back up with your kind? You angels have friends, right?"_

_"Sure. And it's not forbidden to fall in love, either. But we don't reproduce the way humans do, so it's not like reproduction requires love between angels anyway. And love isn't easy for angels. They're all work and no play. It's basically just those you know and those you've heard of - maybe those that you don't know, but that's rare with not a lot of new angels being created these days - those you get along with and those you don't get along with, and those you ally with and those you fight. Basic relationships. And yes, we have a hierarchy too. We know when to bow to those above us."_

_"Tell me about your friends, angel. What was it like to have angel friends?"_

_"I had plenty of acquaintances and those I got along with, but my_ friends? _Hm. There was_ one _that I called my best friend, and lot that I could consider regular friends."_

_"Any girlfriends?"_

_"Yes, plenty of my friends were girls."_

_"No, that's not - ugh. Okay, languages don't make sense sometimes. Continue."_

_"Well, I had friends like Hannah, Uriel, Zachariah, Anna, Balthazar, Nadia, Inias, Ion, Hael, Ezekiel, Rebecca, Bartholomew, Adina, Daniel, Ingrid, Malachi, Ambriel, Thaddeus, Lily, Abner, Miriam, Efram, Hozai, Rachel, Asariel, Sophia, Esther, Jonah, Muriel, Benjamin, Duma, Samandriel, Elijah, Josiah, Nathaniel, Azrael, Esper, Conrad, Nithael, Joshua, Hester, Ishim, Ezra, Theo, Mirabel, Constantine, Neil, Akobel, Oren, Jofiel, Tyrus, Castiel, Isaac…Kandai!"_

_Kan jumped awake from pretending to fall asleep. "What? Sorry, you lost me after Hannah."_

_I shoved him but laid back against him once more. "Plenty more where that came from. Anyway, I guess you can't really consider them friends if they're your family, considering all of us angels are technically brothers and sisters, however we're the kind of family where yes, you_ are _siblings, but your relationship are more like friendships. My main family is Michael, Lucy, Raphael, Gabriel, Raziel, and Ithuriel. Ithuriel was my best friend."_

_"What was he like?"_

_"Nice. I'm the youngest of my immediate siblings, however he helped me through being the silent and invisible younger sibling. He supported me through school before I was a dropout-"_

_"Wait,_ you _dropped out?"_

_"To pursue my alchemic carrier! Now shut up! He supported me through that, too, even if he was a bit hesitant about my methods. I was a rebel, but really, I just wanted to be left alone. I was known as the nerd around Heaven, everyone knew me, but it wasn't as though I was some criminal. I was different, and the court really didn't mind so long as I didn't go ruining things for the angels or lead some kind of rebellion. But…when I was thrown here, he didn't do anything. No one did. I was accused of treason because I was tricked by that demon for those samples, and well…here I am."_

_"And they…you said they cut off…?"_

_"Yeah. One at a time. Fully conscious. Screaming as loud as I could."_

_I pulled off my shirt and let my wings show, though there wasn't much to see. After I'd first found my home, I'd checked to see how badly damaged they were. I had them cut off just before I was thrown through the portal that left me here, and so they had yet to be properly tended to when I had first arrived._

_I had patched the four little stumps that had once been my wings up, each maybe five centimeters tall each. When cutting off wings for some punishment of a crime, there was no real point in making a precision cut that basically made them disappear into my skin, right? No, they were messy, lazily chopped off. But even Gadreel was simply locked up and tortured in Heaven. He didn't have_ this _done to him._

_Kan gingerly let his fingers dance across the skin around what remained of my wings. "Oh my…they…"_

_"Yeah. Wings are no different than arms, and having them chopped off is just as fun. Worse, really. To an angel, wings are…everything. They're much more sensitive than arms or legs, and they're…well, getting my junk cut off would've hurt less."_

_"Uh, did_ not _need that visual, thanks. Way to ruin the moment."_

_I smiled weakly and shrugged. "It's the truth. For the first few days, I was always haunted by dreams that I was still back home. But more than that, I always imagined that they were still there. Phantom pains, I guess. I feel like not just a part of my physical body is missing, but a part of my soul, who I am, if that makes sense. I'm not sure if angels have souls, not anything like humans, at least, and certainly not like demons, but…I've toyed with the idea that maybe we just have weaker versions or something._

_"Angels are soldiers, they follow orders, they never change. I take that to mean they have lesser souls within them, less diversity and need for it. Humans, they have varying degrees, and I think that's the reason they were dad's perfect creation. They can go in any direction they want with a little time, they can open their minds and evolve even if it takes some time. Even if many of them fail, it doesn't mean that another of them won't eventually succeed. Nothing is set in stone for them, for better or worse. And demons? They have too much of a soul, they understand too much, and know too many horrors. Ignorance is bliss, some say, and they're right. Humans, they have the ability to see pain and overcome it, but demons are the ones that don't overcome it. They see how cruel the world is, and they give in to it, let it control them, and are considered evil for it. They're not evil, that's not how I see it. I see it as they've just seen too much, they act the way they do because they have too much of a soul inside them and don't know really what to do with it all. So they lash out, create chaos for whatever reasons, because no matter how good you act, there's nothing that says order will ever be perfect, so why even bother in the long run?"_

_"We demons have_ some _order, you know."_

_"I know. That's just how things work. All demons embrace that kind of…'live for yourself' thinking, and suddenly, without realizing it, they've created a system. I find it fascinating, the kind of depth that one can see within if they look closely enough."_

_"You're brilliant, angel."_

_"Yeah, and my brilliance got me thrown out. I've tried to tell myself how it shouldn't bother me, wondering…if I were a normal angel, what would I be feeling? Would a normal angel feel like I do?"_

_"You're not normal. And I like you that way."_

_"Thanks."_

_"I'm serious. I'd rather be stuck here with you than those upstarts upstairs."_

_"Hey, that's my family you're talking about."_

_He smiled and shrugged. "Sorry. But your family is a pile of douche bags."_

_I opened my mouth to protest, but then closed it and leaned against him once more. "Yeah, it is."_

_He burst out laughing, and I couldn't help but join in._

_"So, breakfast?" He asked once he'd regained his ability to breathe._

_"Sure."_

* * *

_We didn't speak about the incident after that._

_Kan sometimes asked to see my wings, what remained of them anyway, and ran his fingers through the small parts, probably imagining what they had looked like before._

_"You had four?" He asked once._

_"Yeah. I'm an archangel, so I grew more than one set."_

_"So, did you have a predestined set or no?"_

_"I had a predicted easier chance of growing more than one set, but it took my own skill to earn the second set. And yes, I had to grow them same as the first which required some time in pain to let them grow and have my brother Gabe rip them out since he was the only one available at the time. In retrospect, I guess he was the best one, since Mike was the oldest, and not really a family guy, Lucy was doing some time in prison, Raph was the middle child with the whole 'I deal with my issues, you deal with yours' complex, Raziel was off doing dad knows what, and Ithuriel was in school at the time. Gabe was the weirdest of my brothers, you know, besides me, and we got along pretty well. He sucked at helping me through the process though."_

_"What exactly is the process?"_

_"Soak yourself in a bath or shower to weaken the skin and then push the wings out far enough so that they tear through the marks that form and then someone else usually assists in pulling them out. Gabe was all like 'Ew! They're covered in gross stuff!' and basically left me to do the entire thing on my own."_

_Kan snickered. "He sounds fun."_

_"Lazy weirdo that stays away from all the family drama, but my best brother besides Ithuriel. I hear he went to go disguise as a human after this big family fight, and I would've gone with but stayed because I was afraid of leaving Heaven and…I mean, they suck, but they're my family, right?"_

_"I guess so. I don't really know what it's like to have a family, but if I can take my guess, I'd assume it's something that sucks but you can't imagine life without it, you know?"_

_"Yeah. Until I ended up here."_

_"You're with me. I'm the best family there is."_

_"Yeah right. You keep stealing my waffles, you disregard the 'No food in the lab' rule every other day, you snore like a dying whale-"_

_"I do not!"_

_"And you never listen to_ anything _say, do you?!"_

_"I listen! You're just stubborn!"_

_"This is_ my _house, and therefore_ my _rules!"_

_"I'm a guest and your best friend! I have rights!"_

_"Not under my roof!"_

_"You tyrant!"_

_He grabbed a pillow and threw it my way, hitting me in the face. "Damn straight! And I declare you exiled from the lab!"_

_He gasped dramatically. "Oh no! What ever shall I do?!"_

_"And the kitchen."_

_He tackled me into the mattress. "Evil! No! I will end you! I want my spaghetti!"_

_I shoved him over and flipped our positions. "You don't get spaghetti if you keep eating it in the lab!"_

_"Fine, I won't! But you have to sleep on the couch and I get your bed!"_

_"As if!"_

_"That thing is uncomfortable, man!"_

_"You're a demon, deal with it!"_

_He shoved me and flipped us again. "You're an angel,_ you _deal with it!"_

_"You wanna sleep in here? Fine! But not without me! I'm not getting kicked to the couch, and there's room for both of us."_

_"Whoa, at least take me on a date first, honey."_

_"Fine, but I warn you. I don't do one night stands."_

_"Neither do I."_

_"Good."_

_"Good."_

_The next thing I knew, I was kissing him, and he was kissing me. And there were sparks, explosions, fire, everything. I needed to feel him against me, and nothing else existed._

_It lasted an eternity, or maybe just a few seconds, but I knew that we were both out of breath, and when I opened my eyes, I saw he was still extremely close, his eyes dilated and lips a bit bruised._

_"So, how about that date?"_

_I chuckled. "Spaghetti?"_

_"Yep."_

_I realized I was gripping his shirt, and had been since I pulled him in. I released it gently, and allowed him to pull back. I could sense his reluctance, though I couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. I knew that I definitely wanted more of his kiss, but maybe I was pushing it._

_I mean, angels weren't used to love, and what the heck did I know about it? Last time I thought I understood love, I got tricked and sent here in disgrace. So maybe I should slow this down. Then again, we had a mutual agreement, right? We agreed that we could hurt each other all we wanted, because neither of us could possibly be hurt or disgraced further than we were._

_Still, losing him because of my stupid romantics would hurt a lot more than any physical pain inflicted. But wouldn't that be just like a demon? To gain emotional trust and rip it away? More painful than any physical torture? Demons hurt me like that before. I should really learn my lesson._

_"Hey!"_

_I turned to get something tossed over my head. I quickly pulled it off to see Kan smirking._

_"Don't get me wrong, you're cute without a shirt, but not at the dinner table, please."_

_I realized I had taken off my shirt to show him my wings and had never put it back on. I hoped he couldn't see how hard I was blushing as I slipped my shirt back on and rushed out to the kitchen._

* * *

_True to his word, Kan ate dinner in the kitchen with me and we had what might have been considered a date if we hadn't done it a million times already. What we_ hadn't _done previously was act so close to each other._

_Kan looked for any excuse to make physical contact, and I couldn't really argue with any of it. Suddenly, his touch seemed to burn, but in a good way. He took a couple opportunities to kiss me again, each time causing my stomach to twist in knots. But he was also gentle about it, leaving me unsatisfied, but not really scared._

_Was this how love was_ supposed _to be? Back with…the other one…his kisses left me winded and wanting more, but he was much rougher than Kan. I never realized it until now, but he more dragged me around than loved me. I wasn't ever enough to satisfy him, and I knew that inside, but I always thought it was something that was wrong with me. He teased me, gave me just the slightest bit of hope that maybe if I changed myself that maybe I could fix whatever he didn't like, fix myself._

_"Something the matter?"_

_Kan walked into the room carrying a pillow and a blanket._

_"What are you-?"_

_"We made an agreement. I get to sleep on your bed if I don't eat food in the lab. I ate dinner in the kitchen tonight, and so begins the contract. The moment I eat in the lab, I don't get to sleep in here. But until then, I get to sleep on this cloud and you can't stop me!"_

_He flopped onto my bed and pulled his blanket over him._

_"You know, I have those sheets for a reason."_

_"But this blanket is comfy~!" He complained, wrapping himself up like a demonic burrito. I can't believe I just said that. Or thought that. Whatever._

_"Well you can have one of my pillows, at least. I'm gonna go feed BB."_

_I left and checked the open room where BB stayed. He was free to go at any time that he wanted, and so I'd made a little room for him near the back where the backdoor was. He could leave at any time that he wanted through a little bunny door, which took a little bit of training to teach him how to use._

_He was sitting expectantly in the middle of the room. I took some of the herbs and veggies from the garden that I'd collected for him and set them down for him. He'd come to expect dinner every night considering how I fed him. He was being dependent on me. I spoil that little bunny._

_When I returned to my room, Kan had decided that maybe the covers were a good idea. He'd dropped his blanket off the side of the bed and practically disappeared into the sheets of my bed._

_"Hey."_

_He popped up and smiled._

_"Yeah, I'm never leaving this thing," He declared._

_He flopped back into the soft sheets again and I laughed before hopping onto my side of the bed. I slipped under my side of the covers and snapped the lights off._

_"Never lay in a bed before?"_

_"A mattress, maybe. I didn't know angels needed sleep."_

_"I didn't think demons did. The beds are mostly for a comfortable place to rest even if you aren't sleeping."_

_"Same for us."_

_"But this place makes me tired."_

_"Me too."_

_He rolled onto his side to face me, and I turned to do the same._

_"So…" He began. "Is…_ this _a thing?"_

_"Us?"_

_He shrugged. "Yeah."_

_"I don't know," I admitted. "The last time…"_

_"Last time?"_

_"Last time I fell in love…I ended up here. Alone. Cast out. And…terrified…abandoned…"_

_I didn't realize I was crying until I couldn't get out my words anymore. I felt like I was being eaten away from the inside, everything within me hurting. I felt him shuffling closer until I was engulfed in a warm hug. I instantly felt a sort of calm from his presence, and was honestly too tired out to think of why something might go wrong. This was Kan. Anything could go wrong, but I knew it wouldn't._

_"You met me. You're not alone anymore. You're free to be yourself here."_

_I squeezed him and then relaxed into his embrace. "Yeah. And you're…amazing."_

_"But I won't promise I won't be a bed hog."_

_I snickered and leaned up to kiss him. I felt his hesitance at first, before he moved to deepen it and the next thing I know he's pushing me down and I'm letting him._

* * *

Ren woke to a warm snort.

He realized that it was Tidus, finding that it was a brilliant idea to sleep on his face. Ren carefully pulled the bunny off as it let out a small growl and then a yawn. He had a small snort, Ren realized. Aw, that was adorable!

Ren realized that he was somewhere new, on a concrete floor surrounded by metal bars and with some metal clamped around his wrists and ankles. The humans seemed to like it when he was restrained. Perhaps that would get them to be nicer to him. Being diplomatic always helped when trying to avoid fighting and killing.

At least they didn't take Tidus with him. The bunny seemed happy about it.

Ren decided that his only option was to wait, so he started playing with his new pet, who was full of energy, jumping around, standing on his hind legs, yipping playfully, and then napping like a boss before doing it all over again. Ren was just allowing Tidus to get some sleep again when a man walked up and opened the door to the cell with a clang.

Ren blinked. It was another of those guards, but he had a bandaged wrist, and he allowed another group of men to come in who were definitely strong by mundane standards and didn't look too happy.

"Who are you?" Ren asked innocently.

The guard closed the cell door with a clang and Ren heard a lock click. "You're little mutt did this to me," He said, holding up his bandaged hand. "And you killed three of my colleagues just to bring you in. My  _friends_."

Ren frowned. "Oh, sorry. I must've hit them too hard. And the one with the lightning got hurt from the mark…I didn't mean to kill them…"

The guard scoffed and walked away, leaving the two men inside the cell with Ren. He squeezed his new pet friend. He wanted to get to Kan, he needed to get out of here. Maybe they were looking for the ring too. They'd have to tear him apart to get it, but these men had no weapons that could harm him, no matter how weak he was.

"Um…I'm Ren. How's it going?" He tried.

Ren didn't remember it all.

He just knew that he dodged fists and kicks, tried to make sure that these men didn't hit him and become victims of the mark's power. It was only when he heard the squeak of Tidus getting hit and falling to the floor, when his pet stopped moving and went silent, that Ren lost it.

Most humans described the feeling as seeing red, the blood coursing through their system, adrenaline flowing through their veins, and forgetting all reason in favor of instinct and rage.

Ren saw white.

He saw nothing but angelic power surging through him. Perhaps he didn't even see that. Maybe he was just gone as the rest of him exploded.

* * *

_I rolled off of Kan and out of bed._

_It had been months since we'd first kissed and…yeah. I still couldn't believe this was my life. Sure, things had been crappy surrounding how I'd_ gotten _here, but now that I was here, things were too good to be true._

_I jumped in the shower and washed off before getting changed. Kan was next, taking his quick shower while I made the heavenly creation called pancakes. Apparently, Kan had never had them before he'd come here, and so he loved them. Then again, he loved_ all _of the food that I made him._

_In turn, the food that he usually made me was exotic and_ mostly _safe for angels to eat. Apparently, Edom was just as advanced as Heaven, and even if they were demons, it wasn't as though they were uncivilized._

_When Kan walked into the kitchen, he plopped down in the seat that he'd deemed his. "Yea, pancakes!"_

_"_ _You're such a child sometimes."_

_"_ _Excuse me?_ Sometimes? _"_

_I couldn't help but giggle as he took a pancake and practically inhaled the thing._

_"_ _So," He said with his mouth full. "How's project H.O. going?"_

_I pulled over a beaker of liquid that looked like liquor. "It's…going. The properties of Holy Oil that contain angelic power are very interesting. It seems that it's made to react with our angelic powers, like a magnet repelling another magnet of the same charge. Of course, it only activates when set ablaze, given the energy to fire up its properties. Truly, the biggest mystery is where it comes from en masse."_

_"_ _And can you figure out why those demonic symbols have the ability to trap us? That's_ always _bugged me! I mean, why is it that the moment I step within it, I can't move? It's just a painting! Seriously?"_

_"_ _They channel certain energies that contain your demonic properties. Easy. Again with the magnet thing. The symbol sends off a demonic aura, one that traps you rather than repels you."_

_"_ _Oh, that is just evil. Who the hell came up with that, anyway?"_

_"_ _I'm an alchemist, not a historian. Figure it out on your own. And swallow before you speak."_

_"_ _Whatever."_

_But he swallowed anyway._

_We continued doing our stupid talk of the morning - something you think would eventually get old, but so far, it's still amusing. I couldn't possibly have a better life. Being away from Heaven and the other angels…it's refreshing. And with Kan here, what else could I possibly want?_

_And, like all the things I love, it was taken the moment I realized how much I loved it._

_"_ _Here you go. A ring that can transfer angelic power to demonic. Allows me to use my power to heal you, and it is the only one of its kind. I made this one to do the opposite, transfer demonic energy to angelic."_

_"_ _Heaven is missing out on your skills, man. But perhaps that's a good thing. You're_ all _mine. They would_ waste _your potential, you know? I mean, they threw you here, didn't they? They don't appreciate you."_

_I passed over the ring to him. "Does it fit?"_

_He tried slipping it onto his index finger, but it got stuck at his second knuckle about halfway down. He pulled it off again and moved it to his third finger, as his middle and index were relatively the same size, and it slipped on nicely._

_He held out his hand and showed off the ring. "Perfect. And, it_ does _look very nice, if I do say so myself."_

_I slipped my ring onto my third finger, and he chuckled. "What?"_

_"_ _I think humans consider that a proper proposal."_

_"_ _A proposal of what kind?"_

_"_ _A proposal of the marriage kind."_

_"_ _What's that?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "You made a pair of freaking rings that can merge two types of species that are practically_ made _to kill each other…and you have no idea what marriage is."_

_"_ _I told you, I'm a drop out. Now spill."_

_He sighed. "It's a kind of union or whatnot that binds two people's families. Usually, it happens out of love, but some humans consider it nothing but a means of binding families for survival and proper offspring. Demons don't really do it, or at least, they don't make a big deal about it. I assume angels don't either, considering you guys are basically one big family."_

_"_ _Yes."_

_"_ _And something like marriage between an angel and a demon would just be_ scandalous _."_

_"_ _Oh. Well then, perhaps we shouldn't-"_

_"_ _Since when do we give a crap about what others think? If I cared enough about your kind being the opposite of mine and all those stupid customs and rules, I would've bolted for the door and never come back at the first opportunity! I_ want _to marry you, idiot!"_

_"_ _Does this binding…how does it work?"_

_"_ _Well, for humans it's just a bit of legal stuff and a pair of rings, but for higher beings or other certain creatures, it's a very special and magically binding thing. It's basically something where you promise to forever be a part of someone's life, and have them forever be a part of yours. It binds you with a bond as strong as, if not stronger than, siblings. You choose someone to marry, you choose someone to love forever. Marriage is the contract of sorts that keeps you together. Of course, then there's divorce, but one step at a time."_

_"_ _So…I have to choose a partner that I would spend the rest of my eternal existence with?"_

_He shrugged. "Yeah, basically."_

_I leaned forward and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to kiss him from across the table. It might have been a bit of an uncomfortable position, but he didn't seem to be complaining._

_"_ _Well, I'd be very happy to marry you."_

_He chuckled. "Well, it's not like you were gonna spend eternity with anybody else. Not like you really have many options."_

_"_ _I could kick you out at any moment, mister. And BB is good company too. And_ he _doesn't snore."_

_"_ _I do_ not _snore!"_

_"_ _You're unconscious at the time, so how would you know?"_

_"_ _I just do!"_

_"_ _Whatever."_

_"_ _You are the_ worst _."_

_"_ _And you get to marry me and be stuck with me forever!"_

_"_ _Lucky me."_

_I looked around, reaching over and grabbing a flower from one of the gardens that we had growing in the lab._

_"_ _Here. Accept this as a token of my flavor."_

_He giggled. "I think you mean a token of your_ favor _."_

_"_ _Whatever. I still don't get what that means."_

_He rolled his eyes and still took the blue flower. "I love it. I love_ you _."_

_"_ _Obviously."_

_"_ _Shut up and kiss me, dork."_

_"_ _Rude."_

_But I kissed him anyway._

* * *

_I had finally managed to open a portal. It had taken us countless days (we were fooling around most of the days, but we were still working) and finally, I had opened the portal to Edom._

_"_ _I can't go through," I told Kan._

_"_ _What? Why? Your ring thingy protects you from demonic stuff, right?"_

_"_ _This is_ Edom _we're talking about. The ring is new, it hasn't had a lot of exposure to demonic presence, and it would be overwhelmed by an entire city of demons. This is the first of its kind! You can't expect it to be foolproof yet, and until we've broken it in and gotten it out of beta, I'm not gonna risk becoming an angelic barbeque. But you can go there. I'm not sure how much time has passed back in Edom, but I'm sure that it's not the same as here."_

_"_ _So I could've been gone for much longer than just the year or so that I've been here?"_

_"_ _Or you could've been gone for a fraction of the time. Who knows? But you need to go see that little girl, hope that she hasn't given up on you. If a lot of time's passed, then see if she's grown into a young woman, but make sure you come back to me, okay? I'll leave the portal open. Of course, if you wanted to leave me and never come back…well, now's your chance."_

_He shook his head firmly. "No. I'd never do that. I…I love that little girl, but…I love you more."_

_Something within me clenched in what I could only assume was embarrassment or flattery. "I…thanks."_

_He nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Right, let's do this thing. And Ren?"_

_"_ _Yeah?"_

_"_ _Thank you. If not for you…I'd probably be dead, or alone, or…and I would've never gotten the chance to see her again."_

_"_ _You're my friend. And my fiancé, which is a weird word. But it means you're close to me. So…yeah. Of course."_

_He surged forward and grabbed me in a tight hug, before taking a deep breath and stepping through._

_He found himself in the fields of wheat around the little girl's farm. He inched his way through the tall grain, remembering what happened last time he had been there. He'd found a man that was spying on Susu, waiting to punish her should she leave the farm. She had tried to leave, wanting to go and visit Kandai, and so he confronted the child. That's when Kandai had showed up and gotten angry._

_And in his killing of the man, he'd scared off the little girl. Great. How was he going to explain to her what happened? Was she afraid of him now?_

_He made it to the farm, just barely poking his head out of the wall of wheat. She was still the same as when he'd left her, so no major amount of time must've passed._

_He sighed. Here goes nothing._

_"Shu."_

_She jumped and fell to the ground, backing away._

_"Hey, no, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry for what happened. I was afraid that man was going to hurt you, so I scared him off."_

_"Y-You hurt him instead?"_

_He hesitated, before sighing. "Yes, I hurt him a little. But just to make sure he didn't come back to hurt you ever again."_

_She looked over him, before she heard her mother's footsteps and jumped to her feet. "She comes. Hide!"_

_She pushed Kandai into the wheat field once more, waiting until her mother's footsteps had receded before she relaxed._

_"I apologize for my actions previous that had scared you off," Kandai said. "Perhaps we could begin again."_

_What could help convince her? Wait, his flower! She would like that! He reached to his jacket's coat pocket and pulling out a flower with blue petals that almost seemed to glow._

_"Accept a token of my apology?"_

_She looked at the object in his hand curiously. She didn't seem afraid of it, more interested. It had some kind of angelic touch to it, something to be expected from Ren, really. She looked to Kandai, who she saw was praying for her forgiveness._

_He held his breath as she looked back and forth between him and the flower, before she rested her hand gently on his, accepting the plant._

_"Yes," She said. "Perhaps we could begin again."_

* * *

_After that, Kan made many journeys to visit the girl - who he called Susu. I entertained myself by playing with my experiments in the lab, maybe hoping to open a portal to somewhere else, but I never realized how important Kan was to my life until he was gone. I mean, I knew he was important, but it was just so quiet without him._

_I missed his presence, whether we were speaking or not. But I did look forward to when he came home with a story about what they did, him gushing about his little girl like a proud parent. And I was happy for him, I was. I could tell he was worried about neglecting me, but I didn't blame him for wanting to look after a child._

_And I didn't even blame him when he forgot all about us being engaged._

_I missed the times when I had him all to myself, but that would be selfish of me to think only about my own needs. So I smiled to him as hard as I could. I tried my best to laugh at every small detail of his stories that I understood, sometimes at things that I didn't._

_Life was okay. And then it blew up in my face._

_Then, the angels appeared around high sun (what one might call noon). The building first began to rumble and shake, a heavenly aura taking over the place, before, in a flash of light, three new people were standing in my lab._

_"_ _What the Edom?!" Kan shouted._

_"_ _Raphael?" I asked. "What are you…?"_

_"_ _Conspiring with a heathen such as this once more. Really, little brother. And I thought you couldn't fall any lower."_

_"_ _I am no longer in the jurisdiction of Heaven! Why are you here?!"_

_"_ _You are not who we're here for, Ren'ai. You just happen to be in the way."_

_Raph threw his hand forward and Kan was thrown into the bookcase where all of our journals were being kept. The shelf went tumbling, along with all of the journals and books, and he was pressed up against the wall by Raphael's power, and strained as he was pushed flat and was being crushed._

_"_ _Stop it! He hasn't done anything!"_

_"_ _It matters not. His very existence is a threat."_

_"_ _Wha…? Stop it! Stop it!"_

_I moved to help him, but the angel to Raphael's left, Ezra, waved his hand and I was thrown into the shelves containing a good deal of my live experiments, dumping many chemicals on me that weren't very good to mix._

_"_ _You shouldn't have done that…" I muttered as some of the chemicals began to bubble and burn._

_Kan was looking to me in panic, but Raphael wasn't paying attention to me and Ezra was panicking on what had just happened. I reached over and grabbed an emergency lighter - yes I have an emergency lighter in my lab, sue me - and threw it to the Holy Oil that I'd been messing with._

_It had spilled out across the room, and when it lit, the fire started spread around the room to the plants, to my experiments, and to me. Everything turned white and exploded, and I knew that my essence was being atomized in the blast, but I managed to pull my angelic energy back together and reform my body._

_What did the experience feel like? I don't know. How do_ you _feel after every cell in your body is blown apart at an atomic level? I barely managed to muster the consciousness and strength to magnetize my angelic power back together, and when I did, I was extremely drained and was ready to pass out._

_But I saw Kan, lying in the rubble of what had been my house, and he was much worse off than I was. I rushed over to him, pulling him into my arms._

_"_ _Kan? Kan!"_

_He was burnt all across his front side, with multiple cuts, but he was breathing. Perhaps that was a good or a bad thing - as I'd learned that he only breathed when he was weak enough to need to breathe in energy from around him, or he was extremely nervous and/or embarrassed. Basically, it was a survival thing._

_I already felt like my brains had turned to jelly thanks to blowing myself up and reforming, but I threw my energy into healing him with all I had. He hummed with my energy as his burns began to disappear and his cuts sealed themselves, and when he groaned and opened his eyes, he coughed, but he was okay, looking up and grabbing my arm._

_"_ _Ren. Ren, stop! You're gonna kill yourself!"_

_I really had no choice as I stopped the healing process and collapsed onto him. He wasn't at full strength, by any means, but he was okay. Even with how crappy I felt, that knowledge allowed me to relax against him._

_I heard him shouting, I felt him picking me up and shuffling before there was a whoosh and he pulled me through some portal - I know it was a portal because my head spun for a moment - and then I lost consciousness and knew nothing after that._

* * *

_When I came to again, I saw that I was staring up at a roof, meaning I was inside somewhere. I sat up and looked around, finding Kan sleeping next to me. He looked like he had just recently passed out, probably staying up and waiting for me to wake up like the worry-wart he was._

_I shuffled closer to him and closed my eyes again, not wanting to wake him and needing more rest anyway. I wasn't sure where we were, but we certainly weren't still in the same dimension that the two of us had been living in._

_We were somewhere new._

_When I next woke up, Kan was already up as well._

_"_ _Hey, how you doing?" He asked gently._

_"_ _Fine. Ish. I'm hungry and I have a hangover. At least, I_ think _this is what a hangover feels like. I've never gotten drunk before."_

_"_ _Can angels even_ get _drunk?"_

_"_ _If we take a vessel and lower our powers so that the alcohol can take effect, yes."_

_"_ _Well, I got some food. It was a creature I'd never seen before, but it tastes good."_

_He passed me some meat on a stick that he'd been cooking over a makeshift fire, and I wondered just what it was that he had hunted and killed. I took a bite and shrugged. It was pretty good._

_"_ _So where are we?"_

_"_ _After you blew up the place and healed me, I took one of the experiments that you'd been working on - that portal that could take us somewhere other than Edom - and activated it. I just jumped through blindly, really, but it closed behind us and the angels haven't been able to find us. Yet. There was a large house thing, and I found there was no one in here, so I brought you in here to rest. The place seems abandoned, but it must mean that there are others out there in this world. There's a forest outside that I went around in to hunt. Nearly got lost, but our rings seem to have the ability to allow me to track you. I also got the wood to make a fire, and used a little energy to get a spark."_

_I smiled. "You're awesome, love."_

_"_ _I know."_

_"_ _Shut up."_

_He chuckled. "You just regain your strength, first, and we can go scout out the world. See if there's anyone to avoid. I'm sorry you lost your lab."_

_I shrugged. "Well…"_

_"_ _You didn't."_

_"_ _I work in a lab where things can blow up all the time. Of_ course _I have a way to restore it all and summon it here. Little magic and alchemy and boom."_

_I pulled a small gem attached to a necklace out from under my shirt._

_"_ _So_ that's _what that thing was!" Kan exclaimed. "Ren, you're amazing!"_

_"_ _I know."_

_"_ _Oh, shut up!"_

_I laughed. "All is not lost, Kan. We can go back, but if the angels can get there, it's probably best to stay away in case they track us back down to there. Luckily, our home is mobile now."_

_"_ _So we keep on the run from your family?"_

_"_ _That's the plan."_

_"_ _For the rest of our lives?"_

_"_ _Basically. I don't know what they have against you. Raph said he wasn't there for me, that I was just in the way, and that you were some kind of threat."_

_"_ _I don't know what he meant. I mean, I'm the most peaceful demon out there."_

_"_ _I know what kind of person you are, and I know that you're not a threat. But I also know my family, and they won't listen to reason. But I won't let them touch you."_

_"_ _I hate being on the run…"_

_"_ _Me too. But it shouldn't be too hard. Our rings should hide us from them, and we won't have to move too often. They're not omnipotent. If we just hide ourselves well enough, they'll be forced to track us the old fashioned way. The painfully long way."_

_"_ _Is it bad that I feel happy at the prospect of their suffering?"_

_"_ _No. I've been dreaming of it for most of my life."_

_"_ _Well, let's go be fugitives together."_

_I smiled. "Let's."_

* * *

"Kan…"

Ren woke up shaking. He could barely feel his limbs, but he forced himself awake. Was Kan near? Was he dreaming? He wanted Kandai back.

At least waking up here was quieter than the city with all those loud contraptions, and he had less of a headache from people being around him. He still felt terrible, his body weak from exhaustion, but he would recover with time.

"Tidus?"

The bunny was lying asleep at Ren's side. He seemed unharmed, content even. He was okay. That was all that mattered.

Ren saw the remnants of the men he'd probably killed, but he didn't have enough energy to feel remorse. He closed his eyes and relaxed, trying to think of what he was supposed to do now.

What  _was_  he supposed to do now?

He had that address. Maybe these people had contacted this Asushunamir and told her about him. Asushunamir…where had he heard that name before?

Ren was too tired to be thinking coherently at the moment. He regained his strength as he sat there waiting for his fate at the hands of the mundanes. He just wanted to go home, go back to those days where he had Kan, had a place to live, had his own little world untouched by the horrors of the real world.

He suddenly heard the loud clang of the cell door again, looking up and seeing a new guard.

"Get up. You're being released."

"Why?" Ren asked.

"Special circumstances."

Ren looked up in confusion, but allowed himself to be taken away.


	36. Not All Come Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part of the series was physically so painful for me to watch and then document so that's why I took a seriously long hiatus (I mean, I've had longer breaks before on stories, but still). That and I've been busy with my other Shadowhunters story that a little more fleshed out and my other stories in general which I just care for a bit more than this one since season three has gone off the rails, man. Plus that play I mentioned from before? Yeah, that's over, plus the musical I also joined up in as well, and I also got a second puppy because that other one's parents had another liter and we were like "We needs another! WE NEEDS IT!" Because screw a good night's sleep and mental stability, amiright? But seriously, the newest puppy is 3.5 pounds, she's adorable, my first puppy has nearly reached the age where we can call him an adult and he's like four times her size but he's so gentle with her and it's adorable and I love them and the world is crazy and I finally got to this story - I'm trying to finish season 3 I swear, let's do this thing!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

"Clary was taken prisoner?" Shu repeated.

"She's buying us time to get Jace back," Alec confirmed.

"That's…idiotic."

"She's still done her work. We have time, one way or another."

"They'll make her talk, Alexander. Not to mention that Lilith's going to realize that her soldier boy hasn't returned."

"Then we'd better get to work quickly."

* * *

"Val, when are those friends of yours going to arrive?"

"Soon. In the meantime, we need to figure out how you're going to contact Namir and give her the ring."

"It's a portal thing," Kandai informed them. "You won't be able to track her through me."

"What about the ring itself?" Shu asked. "It's with Charon."

"Yes, it is, angel," Val informed them with a smile.

Shu's brow furrowed in confusion, when she heard talking in the other room. "Oh, crud."

She walked out and saw that the group was talking to Jace in the Malachi Configuration.

"…your latest soldier boyfriend," Jace was saying.

"Hey, what are you all doing?" Shu demanded. "Talking to him isn't gonna help anyone except him because he's gonna get into your head. Now, little Jace, you are going to be very sorry in the future, so I'm saving you a lot of trouble by saying 'Shut up.' If you're so confident in yourself, then talking shouldn't be necessary. Talking is for losers. That's why people who monologue are villains."

The door behind them opened and Luke and Simon burst through.

"We got your call," Luke announced. "Any news about Clary?"

"You almost killed her!" Simon hissed at Jace in his prison, though Jace seemed mildly amused. "She gave herself up to the Clave trying to  _protect_  you!"

"Still jealous she picked me over you, huh?" Jace taunted. "By the way, that kiss, at the Seelie Court…we never got to compare notes."

"Let me in there!" Simon slammed his hands against the walls of the Malachi Configuration. "I'll throw  _you_ off the building!"

Luke grabbed Simon and pulled him away. "Come on! Come on, Simon."

They all retreated into the side room where Magnus worked.

"The Jace in that trap is  _not_  our Jace," Luke reminded Simon. "We need to  _focus_. All right? If the Clave finds out about Clary's wish to Raziel, we might never see her again."

Simon took a deep breath and nodded, still shuffling with contained rage. Magnus waved the door shut behind him with magic as the rest of them gathered.

"How's the hunt for the angel coming?" Kandai asked.

"We think we've got a hit - a guy dressed in all white with white hair who acts a bit strange was found and arrested," Luke reported. "As far as I've been told, he's got a pet rabbit."

"A bunny?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

Kan sighed with a smile. "He had a pet bunny a long time ago. He loved that thing."

"Here's the address of the prison he's at." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Shu. "Shu, escort him, will you? See if that's the angel you're looking for. Even if it's not, we need any information he can give, and his help, if he's willing."

Shu nodded and took the paper.

"All right," Luke sighed. "Do we have  _anybody_  in Idris that can get us information?"

"Well, we  _stole_  from the Clave's armory," Alec announced. "So if they've figured  _that_  out-"

"They're not gonna tell us  _anything_ ," Val concluded.

"Shadowhunters are annoying," Kandai muttered.

"So what's plan B?" Simon asked.

"I'm gonna try and get some more intel on Clary," Luke offered. "The best thing  _you_  can do? Go back to that abandoned building and see if you can find some clues."

"No, I'm not going on a  _demon hunt_  while my best friend's in  _prison!_ "

"Simon!" Izzy stressed. "Clary risked  _everything_  to save Jace. You wanna do something for her? Help destroy the demon that caused all this mess."

Simon let out a deep sigh and shifted from foot to foot, but he'd given in. "But I wanna know as  _soon_  as you hear anything."

"Hey,  _no_ _one_  can find out about Jace's possession," Alec announced. "If Clary's able to keep a lid on her wish, we  _can't_  blow it."

They all nodded as Luke and Simon left.

"Speaking of Jace, we need to talk," Magnus muttered, nodding for Alec to follow him out of the room.

"We all realize that the Clave won't stop until Clary's confessed everything, right?" Shu asked.

Izzy sighed. "At the very least, she can buy us time, like she said. We fix Jace and everything will be worth it."

"You all realize that the Clave still has the Soul Sword, right?" Val pointed out.

"Clary put a rune on it to destroy some of its powers."

"It's power  _to kill Downworlders_ ," Shu clarified. "It can still draw the truth."

They all looked around at each other in realization.

Izzy sighed. "Looks like we've got less time than we thought."

* * *

Clary sat solemnly in her prison cell, feeling defeated as she waited for her inevitable execution.

The wall suddenly shifted, flipping like a secret door before a man then walked through as though there had been a door there. In actuality, the wall was solid as ever, but at that point in her life, Clary was surprised, but not  _too_  surprised.

Clary was instantly on her feet defensively. "Who are you?"

The man looked normal enough, wearing a formal suit that was navy blue, his jacket unbuttoned to show his white shirt. He had no tie and the first few buttons on his dress shirt were undone, making him look like he couldn't care less about how he looked. His hair was curly and brown, but it looked like it could be straight with a simple brushing.

He smiled when he saw Clary, stepping forward with his arms out. "Clary! Clary Fairchild! You look just like your mother when she was that age. Has it really been that long? Honestly, one minute you're meeting an angsty teenage girl trying to murder you, and the next she's got a teenage daughter."

Clary's brow furrowed in confusion. "I-I…s-sorry, do I know you? O-Or you knew my mom?"

"Jocelyn Fairchild. I met her during the earlier days of the circle. She went out on one of her secret crusades to murder some faeries, but I saved them and stopped her. I sensed she was a good soul and helped her out, became her friend once she'd wore herself out trying to kill me, and eventually, I gave her a blessing of mine."

"Blessing?"

"Turning 3D to 2D? You think that was some rare angelic ability? No, those wouldn't be hereditary. Rare, special, unique angelic powers don't exist. Most of the time, it's just one of  _our_  kind giving blessings."

"Your kind?"

"The Astrals, basically gods. Usually, only those in Faerie have the guts to believe in us. You Nephilim believe in your angel and nothing else, but we're everywhere, more powerful than Downworlers, Shadowhunters, and even on par with Raziel. I gave your mother, and subsequently  _you_ , the power to turn objects into drawings and back again. I got summons to help in some fight against a powerful demon, but it appears I'm in the wrong place. Aren't there usually more of you?"

Clary shook her head lightly. "U-Uh…yeah, my friends, they're not here."

He looked around. "Well,  _you're_  in prison, so I guess that can't be good. Oh, hey! This is the Silent City! City of Bones, known for the Silent Brotherhood. I guess I really  _am_  in the wrong place. I'll be leaving now."

"Wait! If you're looking for the others…if you see them…tell them I'm sorry. I told them, I didn't have a choice. I was put on trial with the Soul Sword."

He nodded. "Yeah, sure, I'll be sure to inform them. I'm Ace, by the way."

With that, a large, door-sized card appeared, turned so that it engulfed Ace and then turned 90 degrees to Clary's perspective and disappeared. It wasn't just some illusion because the card was thin from the perfect angle - he had literally disappeared.

* * *

"Now, if we wanna bring Jace back, we have to get through to him using the strongest connection possible," Magnus informed Alec, the two of them standing outside on the balcony.

"Which is me," Alec nodded. "I'm in. Whatever it takes."

"I-I don't think you understand. This isn't like the last time we tried to use your parabatai connection to help Jace. If you go in, Lilith could get her demonic claws into  _your_  soul as well."

Alec stepped forward confidently. "I  _have_  to do this."

Magnus pursed his lips. "Of course." Alec sighed in relief. "But if I  _help_  you…and I  _lose_  you…"

Alec took Magnus's hands. "I know. It's just…if I…if I don't get Jace back, I…without him, I'm…I'm nothing."

Magnus stood straighter. "Then we'll do this." Alec nodded. "But you're not going in alone."

* * *

"So I can go with Alec to save Jace, even though I'm not his parabatai?" Izzy asked.

"It's  _possible_ ," Magnus admitted. "But it would require more magic and would give you less time inside."

"No," Alec snapped. "I'll take the chance, but I'm not putting Izzy in that kind of danger."

"The last time you tried to use your parabatai connection, you were in a  _coma_  and almost  _died_ ," Izzy reminded him. "Jace was the  _only_  person who could save you. And this time we won't  _have_  him to bring you back." Alec sighed in defeat. "What exactly do we have to do?"

"You have to find Jace and bring him out with you," Magnus said.

" _How?_ " Alec stressed.

"When you  _find_  him, you all have to be linked. Now, I'll have  _one_  shot to pull you all out together."

Izzy smiled. "So it's settled. Let's go bring back our brother."

* * *

Lilith dispatched her disciples to find the Owl while the final disciple, the policewoman called Ollie, remained by her side as the two of them left for the Seelie Court.

Namir sat on the stone railing of their new location, looking at the city below. She just needed that ring and she'd be able to have her fun.

Alexander Lightwood would pay dearly for the pain that he's caused.

* * *

"So…Ren'ai liked rabbits?" Shu asked.

Val had opted to stay behind at Magnus's apartment to help with the warlock magic and buy Alec and Izzy more time to save Jace, so it was just Shu and Kandai going to check out Ren from the prison.

"He called them bunnies," Kan informed her. "He had a bunny back when he was exiled from Heaven. It was his first friend."

"Exiled?"

"Yeah, that's…how we met. Ren was tricked. He was the alchemist of the angels, the one who dared to explore new things and new abilities. There was this demon, a Greater Demon, a  _strong_  one, who snuck his way into Heaven and convinced Ren that he was an angel too."

"That's-"

"Impossible? That's how good the demon was. I'm pretty sure that he showed himself to no one but Ren and made Ren promise to keep him a secret. That lowered the risk factor. Anyway, he tricked Ren…made Ren love him…then stole his work so that he could make you."

"Me? So…"

Kan shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for things out of your control. Look, I was a part of the operation to make you as well. I was a Greater Demon, and all the Greater Demons in Edom were enlisted to help. But I didn't want them to do what they were doing to you. The moment I first saw you and what your mother did to you…I did something stupid and tried to make them take pity on you. I got kicked out."

"So that's when you met Ren?"

"No. That's when I walked through the fields to meet  _you_. I had lived in the main city of Edom before, watching your progress through a monitor, but then I actually  _met_  you in person, that day in the fields."

"So when did you meet Ren?"

"Remember that man that I killed?"

"The first time that I saw your true power as a Greater Demon?"

He nodded. "That man was actually coming to 'check up' on you, by your father's orders. I made him  _really_ angry after that. He banished me to another realm - a prison for an angel who he must've believed was evil enough to kill me on sight, angels being naturally prejudiced against demons and this one most likely angered at his banishment. Whatever caused him to be banished  _must've_  meant he was a loose cannon, right?"

"So…was he?"

"No. When he first saw me, his bunny was the only reason he dared to approach me. I told him to kill me, but I saw that he wasn't violent by any means. He was quite adorable when he wasn't fearing for his life. Once he realized I wasn't a threat, that he actually had some power in the situation, he changed. He was calm, relaxed, he was confident, and I had a feeling that he hadn't gotten that kind of feeling since he'd arrived there."

"You made him smile? Is that when you fell in love?"

He sighed. "Oh, a  _lot_  of things made me fall in love. Time, mostly. Just so much time getting to know him, letting him get to know me. He helped me with my own problem, we bonded, and I just…I  _loved_  that angel with everything I had. Then, he found a way for me to get back to you. He opened a portal, and since time in our realm and Edom was a bit wonky, all that time I spent with Ren equated to just a few days to you. Just earlier that day, Ren gave me the flower because he'd proposed and then we started making fun of each other. He gave it as an apology of sorts. I kept it all the time, with me, and then I gave it to you."

Shu smiled. "Those rings you talked about, the one that Namir wants and its opposite with Ren…"

"Wedding rings. It was mostly symbolic, of course, but I wanted to be bound to him in  _some_  way. I wanted to know he was mine and mine alone no matter what happened. Even if it was nothing but a title, I wanted to be married to him."

"That's so sweet."

"Yeah, well…we were living happily together when his family showed up, a trio of angels that wanted  _me_ dead for some reason. We managed to escape thanks to Ren's brilliance, but we made it through a portal to the mortal world where we ran from angels and demons alike. Eventually, though, we were caught."

"By Namir?"

He nodded. "We were imprisoned for who knows how long, before…well, you know after that. She finally brought us out, said we'd finally be of use. Then I was forced to make that oath for Ren's safety. I  _can't_  let him be hurt, he did nothing wrong."

"You're a good person, Kandai."

He nodded. "But no matter how good my intentions, look at everything that I've failed to do. I failed to help you, I failed to help him, and now…"

"You have the chance to do better. We're going to stop Namir and Lilith and you're going to start over. Oh, we're here."

Shu led Kandai into a building. He got a bad feeling, just from being there. This wasn't a place for his angel to be. Shu went up to a woman behind panels of glass or plastic (Kandai couldn't tell) with speakers to allow her to hear people. Kandai wondered how safe that was. What if she ran out of oxygen?

"I'm looking for an inmate," Shu declared.

" _State your business,_ " The woman on the other side of the clear wall's voice came through.

Shu held up some papers that Luke had given her, probably for legal matters, and then held up a small golden emblem that must've meant something important, because the woman suddenly jumped to life and got to work on freeing him. Shu was strict and to the point, making sure her intentions were clear and what authority she had even without using her powers. Kandai smiled at seeing what his little girl had grown up to become.

"He'll be out in a few minutes," Shu reported. "They said that he killed a couple of people - one officer who tried to arrest him and then another who tried to take his pet away. They left the pet with him and found him docile, but then an angry cop whose friend Ren had killed allowed a couple of prisoners into his cell to beat him up. They hurt the pet in the process and…well, let's just say that Ren's terrified and there are some murder charges against him."

"That's…bad, right?" Kandai muttered worryingly.

"A little magic and everything returned to normal."

"How?"

"Angels feel the pain of others around them and are compelled to help with their powers. We can manipulate the universe itself if determined enough. I went back and undid the deaths that Ren caused and replaced them with major injuries and simple accidents. He's not being held accountable for anything. He's now being pitied as a man who was tortured and witnessing such violent acts only made him scared. No one knows any different."

"But what about everyone's memories, probably reports that went out-?"

"An angel's abilities allow them to fix nuances. We are  _very_  dangerous to the balance of the universe because we can change many,  _many_  details that can result in drastic changes. For every blessing, another receives a curse. That's why angels don't come down to Earth unless they  _have_  to. We hear all these thoughts about us, every prayer, every insult, every random comment aloud or not. I'm stable because of all the demonic presence in my life, but other angels aren't."

"And Ren's had me…that makes sense."

Doors opened and Ren came out with cuffs on his wrists and a small white and brown speckled fluff animal in his arms. He had a small frown on his face before he saw Kan and then rushed from the two men that were escorting him.

"Kan! You're here!"

"Whoa, sparky, let them take the cuffs off," Shu advised.

One of the men caught up and unlocked the cuffs on Ren's wrists, taking them away and pulling the chain up so it didn't hang.

"Those didn't really serve a purpose, but the humans felt happier when I had them on," Ren whispered.

Kan pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, thank anything that is good out there, you're okay!"

Ren let out a small 'Oomph' before wrapping a single arm around Kan's waist. "I'm glad you're okay too. I'm so glad you're here. I was lost, and people kept talking about me, and my mind hurt, and then I had loud horns in my ears, and then I nearly got shocked by lightning, and then-"

"Whoa, slow down." Kan pulled back and put his hands to Ren's shoulders. "You can tell us all about it once we're somewhere safe."

Ren nodded. "Oh, look! BB must've had descendants. Remember him?"

Kan chuckled. "How could I forget. The little scamp took your attention away from me. He was my competition."

Ren held up the animal in his arms. "Look! It's such a cutie! Poor thing was just as scared and alone as I was. I'm gonna call him Tidus. He looks like a Tidus. Doesn't he?"

"A bunny?"

"BB's great-great-great-something grandchild!"

"That's not a bunny," Shu said in surprise.

"Huh?" Ren asked, his face looking extremely concerned.

"It's a dog. A Shih Tzu."

"What's that?"

"Not a bunny, but another domestic animal that can be trained as a pet."

"How different is a Sh…this thing from a bunny?" Ren asked.

"Not much, depending on how you raise it. They're more active and run around a lot, they're protective and are considered predators, they bark and bite, and they're a bit more demanding of food."

"Bite?!"

Ren dropped the puppy and Shu quickly moved to catch it. "Whoa! Don't worry. This little one doesn't have any teeth to bite with yet, do you, little guy?"

The puppy wiggled its tail and let out a small whimper.

"It makes noises," Ren said. "I thought it was just an evolutionary trait."

"It'll learn to bark one day, but the bark is to alert you of something or try to warn someone that's trying to hurt you to stay away. You make a connection with a dog and they'll bond with you as loyal allies for life. A Shih Tzu won't grow _too_  big, and there are definitely more intimidating dogs, but I think Tidus suits you well."

Ren blinked and reached out. "Can I have him back?"

Shu chuckled. "Sure."

The puppy's tail wagged as Ren took him back into his arms. He made a little yawning noise before falling asleep.

"He's gonna need food. And you're gonna have to potty-train him."

"Huh?" Ren blinked.

"Don't worry, I can teach you."

"Oh, I don't believe we've formally met before. You're a friend of Kan?"

"I'm Asushunamir - Shu."

"Oh! You're that little girl he loves! That was…ages ago. You…you nearly…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he was there that day. I was just so angry and frustrated at my mother that I lashed out, but he got caught in the crossfire."

Ren looked down. "What's done is done. We're all here now. And…Kan…"

"We've got a plan," Kan said. "Sorta. Namir's only given me one order so far: to give her my ring so she's protected from angelic powers."

"She'll be invulnerable to angels, demons, Nephilim, warlocks, Seelies…but not the other deities."

Kan nodded. "A friend of ours has some contacts."

"I have contacts too."

"Come back to my apartment," Shu offered. "It's so far the only safe place we have."

Ren nodded. "If Kan trusts you, then…so do I. Just…"

He held up his hand as a rune blazed to life above his palm. It instantly flew off as a fire message.

"I've got a couple of people who owe me favors."

Shu nodded. "We'll need all the help we can get. Now come. We don't have a lot of time."

* * *

When the first thing she saw was a knocked out Jace in the Malachi Configuration and a fully conscious and very confused Alec and Isabelle with a frustrated Magnus, Shu knew that things hadn't gone well.

"What has occurred  _here?_ " Ren asked.

"I think it's time for a  _long_  story, Ren," Kan sighed, pulling the angel off to Shu's room, the Tidus wiggling his tail excitedly at the new environment.

"Magnus?" Shu asked.

"He used the Malachi Configuration against himself to prevent us from getting inside," Magnus summarized.

"Then I guess we'll need the chains then."

Isabelle gave a wary look. "What chains?"

"The chains that held Ithuriel when he was in Valentine's captivity. What? You keep your spoils of war, I keep mine."

* * *

"Is it just me, or are things getting super gloomy?" Val whined as she leaned her head on her palm while watching Shu shuffle around the study.

"That's what happens when you live in a world where things are  _always_  dark and gloomy. If you want something interesting, contact those friends of yours and make them show up sooner. Ren has his own contacts getting here, and I swear if his friends get here before yours, your credibility is going to plummet."

She gave a small chuckle. "Ren'ai, huh?"

"You know of him?"

"We met, way back when. It…didn't end too well. I doubt he wants to see me."

"Sounds foreboding. Well, now you've got me interested, how can I  _not_  want to know your history with my father-in-law?"

"Aw, that's sweet. Didn't know they were married."

"Yeah, it's cute, but don't change the subject."

She shifted in her seat. "Well, it's complicated. Best to explain it with him. It's his secret to share."

"Then let's go, assuming they're not sleeping together in my room."

"Ew, man, don't go there!"

Shu chuckled. "Didn't peg you for the bashful type."

"It's called respecting the guy that supposed to be your  _dad_."

They headed to Shu's room, seeing Alec, Izzy, and Jace, standing with their eyes rolled back in their heads, Magnus holding his arms out to hold the yellow strands of magic binding them together.

"Does it he need help?" Val asked.

Shu shook her head. "Nah, just wait till he calls out for some assistance. Let the man keep his pride."

Shu knocked on the door to her room.

"Papa! Can we come in?"

"Sure!" Kan called from within.

The two walked in to see Ren sprawled on the bed with Tidus lying next to him sleeping on his back with his paws bent like he was mimicking a T-rex. Kan was sitting backwards in a chair pulled over from the desk, explaining the tale of everything that had happened to the best of his ability.

"And now we're trying to  _stop_  Lilith and Namir."

"We should just smite them," Ren said bluntly.

"Unfortunately, none of us are in a good enough position to be doing any smiting."

"What about Ithuriel? Your little Nephilim seem important enough to him that he'd show up with a simple prayer."

"That was a special case. And you know angels, they rarely come down here for anything, and knowing that Lilith is out there now will make even  _his_  benevolent little heart cower in heaven."

Ren nodded. "True enough."

"Hey," Shu announced. "So Val wanted to see Ren, and-"

"You!"

Ren shot off the bed at inhuman speeds and had his hands around her neck, slamming her up against the wall. She had her hands on his wrists instinctively, but she didn't try to fight him.

"I see…you're recovering…well…" She choked sarcastically.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa!" "Ren stop it! What are you-?"

"How dare you show your face here?!" Ren spat. "How dare you act like some friend?!"

"Hey!" Shu shouted. "How about we all just  _calm down?_  Ren, what is this all about? How do you know Val?"

"Val?" Ren scoffed. "Is  _that_  what you're going by now?"

"I  _told_  you about her," Kan protested. "Charon's daughter - Valak Mataecharonsan."

"Valak…Valak doesn't  _have_  any children, you idiots!"

"It's been many years, Ren-"

"No! The idiot  _told_  me that he'd never give any half-breed a  _fraction_  of his power because he likes to keep it  _all_  to himself."

Val chuckled. "So you've cared enough to remember me? I'm so  _flattered_."

Val phased through Ren's hands, turning to black smoke and falling through him to move and then reform behind him. Ren turned and moved to punch her, but she disappeared and ended up standing just out of range of his hit. She dodged his next punch then caught his wrist from his next before making her hands flash red and shocking Ren, causing him to stagger back and hold his wrist where her handprints had been burned onto his skin.

"Okay, okay, ENOUGH!" Kan snapped. "Would you like explaining what's going  _on?!_  I don't like being in the dark here!"

"Val, what the Edom?" Shu demanded.

She rubbed her neck casually. "I told you, we have a history that didn't end well."

"That's the demon who fucking got me banished!" Ren snapped.

"Val is a  _warlock_ ," Shu said. "You're saying that she's not Charon's daughter, but-"

"A disguise, nothing more. Why put up the charade? Got tired of the story and decided to make things more interesting?"

Val gave a smile that showed she wasn't very broken up about the revelation. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"So what? You're a demon in disguise? I suppose that means your help isn't going to be very  _helpful_  huh?"

Now Val looked genuinely upset as her smirk turned into a pout. "My help is  _very_  genuine. I've got a guy who's not stingy about light and darkness, angels and demons."

"You guys are pretty slow, huh?" Ren hissed. "That is  _Valak!_  Valak the memory demon, and the asshat who tricked me and made me a disgrace to my people and my family! Valak who's been responsible for  _everything_  that's happened to me, Kan, and you, Asushunamir! And he is going to die for what he did!"

* * *

Falorios had been told that Lilith had returned, but he hardly could believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

The Astrals of Faerie were on the scale of the gods, yet Lilith was something that Falorios knew that he was no match for. He was sure that the higher up Astrals  _had_  to know about this, but so far, he was the only one that had shown up upon Lilith's attack on the Seelie Court. Rios could only watch as the Fair Folk warriors were struck down one by one. Though the Seelie Queen put on an air of confidence, she was heartbroken by every death in the name of her protection.

On top of that, there was the freaking  _queen_  of the demons, Asushunamir. She had existed long before this and had been known as a threat to the Astrals, but she had remained relatively neutral and harmless in the long run, so they had left her alone. They had known there was a chance that her demonic half could be released, but none of them truly had a plan for it, and the highest of the highest Astrals - the Hexatheon - would only interfere if absolutely necessary. That meant that the world would kinda have to be on the brink of destruction, you know, no big deal or anything.

Overall, Rios had no choice but to hide in the trees and watch, hoping that he could get as much information from the encounter as possible to report about Lilith and Asushunamir's motives. That meant he had to see the faeries slaughtered before him, unable to do anything, and he clenched his fists tightly while cowering in the branches of a tree high above, hoping to heavens his weakness compared to some of the stronger Astrals made his presence undetectable in the natural magic of Faerieland. He was just a moth god, after all. Even if he was seen, what threat could he really be?

"The vampire with the mark," Lilith was saying. "You gave it to him because it's the  _only_  thing that can banish me. I want you to remove it."

"There  _has_  to be a way, little queen," Namir said, running her hands along the rod with the Mark of Cain on it. "There is  _always_  a way, and if anyone would know, it would be the queen of the people who…get around the world, know it's deepest and darkest secrets."

"I  _gave_  him the mark because he's a Daylighter," the Seelie Queen corrected. "Seelies have  _always_  been the protectors of anything in nature that's  _special_  and  _unique_."

"My  _son_  is  _special_  and  _unique_. And  _I_  am his protector. The Mark of Cain, I want it  _gone!_ "

The Seelie Queen dropped her gaze for a moment before raising them bravely to Lilith. "There are certain things…that  _I_ , too, want gone. Sadly, we don't always get what we want."

"Hmm," Lilith fumed. "Pity. That was the only reason I was playing nice."

She raised her hand a gathered an orb of red magic, which the queen's eyes followed intently. "Do that and you'll never find your precious Owl," She said quickly.

Lilith smashed the orb and allowed it to vanish.

"That's right," The Seelie Queen continued, knowing she had found her weak spot. "I know where he is."

* * *

"Would everyone  _please_  calm down?!" Shu shouted. "No more fighting! No more anger and stuff! We have  _enough_  shit to deal with right now!"

She grabbed Ren and pulled him away.

"Shu!" Magnus's strained voice called from the living room.

"Oh, what  _now?_ "

She opened the door and went stomping down the hallway.

Val took Kandai's hand and slipped something into his palm. "Hold on to this for me, will ya? Do with it what you think is right."

She rushed after Shu as Ren hurried over to Kandai and pried his fist open to see that Val had given him a ring - Kandai's ring, which could transform angelic energy into demon-safe energy. The very ring Namir would need to become nearly invincible.

Meanwhile, Shu was surprised to find Lilith holding Magnus up in a chokehold with her magic, Alec, Jace, and Izzy knocked out on the floor.

"If I didn't fear starting a war with your father, I would  _happily_  oblige."

"Let him go!"

She held her hands out as her eyes glowed white and her hands shot out a blast of angelic energy. Lilith dropped Magnus to turn and hold her hand out, easily blocking the weak attack.

"You're a pathetic counterpart to our dear queen."

"She weakens herself," Namir stated smugly. "She's  _afraid_  of herself,  _and_  her powers. A pity. You could do  _so_  much if you just let go."

She held out her hand and Shu felt an overwhelming burst of power, more than she could handle at once. Her vision went white, her body burned, and she knew she was losing herself to her angelic side. The humanity was dissolving within her, bit by bit.

"I've got her!"

Val turned to smoke, flying forward and into Shu's glowing white form and darkening her back to normal levels. She choked, her eyes still glowing white, but then her eyes fell closed and she passed out on the carpet, joining the numerous bodies sprawled on the floor of Magnus's apartment.

"You pathetic traitor," Namir hissed.

She took a step closer and Shu's body flared white from an overload of angelic power once more, Val fighting to keep it contained. Ren came down the hall next, his puppy at his feet, as he kneeled beside Shu and put his hands on her shoulder to roll her onto her back.

"Hold on."

He closed his eyes before opening them to reveal the glowing blue-white pupils of an angel. Shu began to spasm, a snake of white energy escaping from her mouth and flowing into Ren's, causing his body to illuminate dimly and grow brighter and brighter with each second.

"You stay  _out_  of this, angel!" Namir snapped.

Ren was suddenly pulled up from the ground, his puppy barking madly in protest and jumping in the hopes of reaching him. His absorption of Shu's overload of angelic power was halted and Ren began to spasm in the air, though not from Lilith but from his own overload, unable to handle Shu's levels of power, even when he had barely absorbed any of it in comparison to the whole.

"Stop it! Stop it, I have what you want!"

Kandai rushed in, holding up his ring in defense. Namir's eyes locked onto it and she dropped her hands, Ren falling to the carpet and Shu's convulsions stopping.

"I have what you want, now leave them alone," Kandai demanded.

Namir flicked her hand and the ring shot into her palm. "Thanks, Pops. Have fun with your little toy, for as long as he lasts."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I did nothing to  _him_. He was the one that chose to take upon him a power that he knew he could never fully comprehend. How he's paying the price for it. I can't harm him, I planned to only do things to all of your little buddy buds. But I suppose this will have to do. If he makes it, we'll be in touch, Kandai. If he  _doesn't_ , well…just remember, he has no one to blame but himself."

Magnus rushed forward, despite still regaining his breath from being suffocated, and tried to stop Lilith as she broke the chains on Jace's wrists and grabbed him. Lilith reeled on him immediately, throwing him back against the wall and looming above him.

"Do  _not_  push your luck,  _warlock_ ," She spat. "I may not be able to kill you…" She held her hand out and Alec and Izzy seized up and screamed as they were wrapped in her magic aura. "…but I don't think your daddy dearest cares too much about some insignificant little Nephilim."

Meanwhile, Falorios landed on the balcony, unnoticed in all the commotion, and sighed. "Why me, Shiva? Why  _me?_ "

She released a glowing lavender moth from his palm and let it fly up to the roof to hide. He then released another moth into the room, while Lilith's back was turned, distracted with Magnus, Alec, and Isabelle, and while Namir was slipping her new ring on her middle finger and shrinking it to fit, admiring the new accessory. The moth flew towards Jace Herondale before disappearing inside his chest with a small glow that faded. Rios then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his physical form disappearing as he entered the soul of Jace.

"Shall we be going, dear Lily?" Namir smirked, turning and walking over to Jace and lifting him.

Lility released Alec and Izzy, following after Namir as they disappeared before Magnus could even think about trying to stop them. Alec and Izzy slowly picked themselves up, breathing hard, and looked around to find only silence.

Magus took deep breaths, his hand at his throat. "I'm sorry," He whispered, the words almost as painful as the aftereffects of his magical chokehold. "I couldn't stop her."

Alec and Izzy slumped in defeat, the former punching the carpet in rage.

"Ren. Ren!"

Kandai kneeled beside his limp form, cupping his face, his eyes open and still glowing, pulsing and flickering.

Val's black smoke floated out of Shu, reforming into the girl herself, kneeling on the floor coughing and regaining her breath. "Never wanna do that again…"

Shu's power levels began to return to normal, but that left her limbs feeling like jelly as she tried to sit up. Val hurried over and helped her sit against the wall despite her own exhaustion, and she quickly took the opportunity to plop down next to her.

"We lost…" Shu muttered, her voice cracking. "I lost…"


	37. Out With a Bang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to pump out these chapters but it hurts to watch the series. Since the show is leaving Hulu in a little under two weeks, I'm gonna have to hurry and finish if I want to be able to document this all, so time to subject myself to pain for the sake of fishing this damn story. I'm sorry if I've become a little pissed at the show, but I do intend to finish this, if just to get it over with. I love Shadowhunters, but I love the books more than the show. I question why movies and shows can't just follow the damn source material. Is it some kind of copyright issue? Because as a writer, if someone portrayed by content wrong when giving it visuals, I'd get uber pissed. I think I recently read that Rick Riordan doesn't like the movies from the PJO series any more than we do. Castlevania is the one show that I've seen that does a great job of taking a videogame and making it into a great Netflix show. There might be others, but that's the most recent one that comes to mind that I've been into.
> 
> Anyway, back to Shadowhunters.
> 
> Enjoy :P

Kandai wiped a cold wet towel across Ren's forehead as he shifted on the couch. The angel was quiet, but he was gritting his teeth and sweating from a strain.

"Idiot," Kandai muttered. "You shouldn't have done that. Your Mark of Cain only protects you from outside harm, not self-inflicted harm."

Ren had explained during their recap how he hadn't killed anyone during his time on the run - the Mark of Cain had protected him. Even the men in the prison hadn't been able to do him any harm; he backed away and cowered in an attempt to protect them from themselves. It had only been when Tidus the puppy had been injured that Ren had taken the offensive.

Said puppy was now pawing at Ren and whimpering, as though maybe if he touched him one more time, he'd wake back up.

Kandai leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on the angel's lips. "You've gone through enough, love. Pull a stunt like this again and I'll lock you up in our pocket dimension with just me and only me to keep you company." Tidus let out a small, high-pitched bark of protest. "And Tidus too." He chuckled lightly. "Then again, it couldn't keep you contained the first time, could it? You should consider not running head first into danger anymore, even if it's for my sake. Let a Greater Demon keep his pride. Well, I suppose I'm a hypocrite for saying that, but I'm the demon. I'm supposed to be the flawed one in this relationship."

Ren did not respond.

"Come on, Ren, you can't leave me now. I just got you  _back_ , idiot."

He gripped Ren's hand tightly. Ren's skin was burning up with angelic energy, but Kan resolved that he wasn't letting go. If Ren was in pain, it was only fair that Kan shared it.

"Come back to me.  _P_ _lease_."

* * *

Isabelle grimly picked up the broken chains that had once held Jace.

Behind her, Alec sat on the couch, his hand squeezed in a tight fist. "He begged us."

Izzy fiddled with the chains as though they could give her a way to summon her lost brother back to them. Magnus grimly closed the balcony doors and locked them as Alec stood from the couch.

"He  _begged_  us to kill him."

"All the terrible things Lilith made Jace do…" Izzy began, unable to finish. She tossed the chains to the floor with a clink and stood straight. "He said if she takes him back, she'd make him do much worse."

"And now Lilith has him again," Val sighed redundantly, running her hands through her hair. " _Just_  like he said she would."

Alec shook his head angrily. "We  _promised_  him we wouldn't let her take him back."

"You did all you could," Magnus said, knowing the words were empty.

Alec shared a mournful glance with Izzy. "We promised him," He repeated.

Izzy took deep breaths, fighting back tears.

"We'll get him back," Shu declared. "We  _have_  to. I have to stop her, I have to accept her."

"You're better than her," Val insisted. "You went without her for this long."

"She's drained  _every_  bit of human out of me, burned it away, rather. All I know is that I have to win. I have to win against evil. I'm no longer a protector. I am only a warrior. And I suppose that's exactly what she wanted from me."

"For what? To make her fight you fair and square? What does she have to  _gain?_ "

"She'll make us fight to infinity, or she'll simply keep me as a toy to play with. To show she is superior, to show that I am a lesser half. Or she'll take my power from me when I am at my peak, and leave me with nothing but the fraction of human left, too small and too broken to be much of anything on my own.

"Or maybe you can  _win_ , angel. The two of you were once one person, meaning if you combine, at the very least, we can stop Namir from helping Lilith. At best we get you in your full form on our side."

"How are we supposed to get her back with me?"

Val sat forward on the couch. "You are supposed to be  _complete_  opposites, right? But there has to be something that you have in common."

Shu was silent for a long time. "Confusion, perhaps."

"Confusion?"

"We don't know why we exist, what we're supposed to do. We can fight, but what do we fight for? We fight for light and we hate it. We fight for darkness and it's boring. Even if one side or the other wins, what's the point? What's the point of us? Why are we so powerful, why are we a success? And what are we in this world for, if not to destroy it all to stop the fighting and pain permanently?"

Val reached over and took Shu's hand. "Why are  _any_  of us in this world, sweetheart? Because we have to fight for a happy ending. It's not easy, it takes time and there's gonna be a lot of trial and error, so only the strongest are able to do the right thing and not give in because the fight's hard."

Val stood from the couch. "We have work to do. "This fight's not over, and until it is, we better be kicking and screaming until the end. I don't plan to go silently into that good night, and neither should any of you."

* * *

Magnus knocked on the door of the Head's room in the Institute where Isabelle and Alec were talking. The Clave, understandably, had shut Alec out of anything involving Clary, so his status as Head of the New York Institute didn't mean much in this case compared to the whole of the Clave and the Consul.

"Sorry to…interrupt," Magnus said, obviously taking a few seconds to form the words for that sentence.

Alec clasped his hands behind his back formally. "Magnus."

"And Shu."

He pointed a finger to where Shu was leaning against the doorway with her eyes closed. There was a high chance that she was actually fully asleep standing up.

"Looks like  _someone_  needs a coffee," Izzy commented.

"Oh, no thank you," Magnus waved dismissively. He sauntered in stiffly as though he had to concentrate on moving each of his limbs separately. "I already had six. Shu?"

"I don't drink coffee," Shu said. "Besides, I don't think there's anything strong enough for an angelic hangover."

"I'm guessing you haven't let  _Magnus_  try to make you something?"

"Cayenne pepper and dragon's blood," Magnus said.

"That would wake the  _dead_  up," Alec recognized.

"Necromancy is illegal," Shu pointed out.

"So," Magnus continued. "We were up all night dealing with… _fun_  stuff. Ren's somewhat stabilized, and I've been researching the dark magic that Lilith has been using on Jace. I  _may_  have found a way to free him."

"What?" Alec snapped. " _How_ _?_ "

"Based on your descriptions, it seems that Lilith has Jace locked in some kind of a… _mental cage_ , and the only solution is  _breaking_  that cage by blasting Jace with enough magic to…eviscerate her presence."

"Do you have the power to do that?"

"No. But I  _will_. In the Book of the White, I found a synthesis spell that'll allow me to temporarily channel the magic of other warlocks."

"How  _many_  warlocks?" Izzy asked.

"I'll…need at least about a dozen to match Lilith's strength. Luckily we have a lot of people willing free of charge as our friends, and the rest we can call in some favors. This  _should_  work. There's just… _one_  tiny catch."

"We'll need the High Warlock's permission to organize something on this scale."

" _Such_  bull," Val called from the doorway. "But I think we might be able to manage it. Oh, and also, my friend finally got here. He has some news for us about Clary."

* * *

Rios had never really  _wanted_  to know what the inside of a Nephilim Institute looked like. He certainly hadn't planned for his first trip to be here, inside a creepy nightmarish version of an Institute trying to find Jace Herondale.

"Jonathan Herondale~!" He called, his voice echoing in a place that really shouldn't echo.

He hoped to any of the benevolent gods that Ace got his message.

He looked inside a room and found a crap ton of murdered red-heads. Actually, they were all the same girl upon closer inspection. But there was no one in the room. Rios gladly put the room behind him and continued down the winding halls. He knew that he was an Astral, but then again, a moth god was never something to brag about. He had never been a strong Astral, at best he could fly away and turn into a bunch of moths to avoid any hits, he could stay hidden, he had made friends with other Astrals, and of course, he had the infinitely more powerful Ace on his side.

But he was alone right now, and the only hope for Jace retaining his wits within this labyrinth.

When Rios heard the sobbing, he knew that he was getting close. He hurried down the halls, feeling a live soul within the darkness, and found a music room where a blonde guy Rios recognized as Jace cowering in a corner.

"Don't worry, kid, I can protect you."

Rios spread his large moth wings that normally hung behind him like a thin cape. His lavender wings illuminated and a swarm of moths exploded out to consume the entire room, grabbing Jace and blocking him off from Lilith's dark world. They ended up in an energy bubble surrounded by Rios's moths. Through it, Lilith's messed up Institute dark world could be seen around them, cut off by the bubble.

Now, Lilith had full control of Jace's body, but she could do nothing to his soul. Of course, now Jace and Rios were stuck here until Lilith's presence was vanquished.

"She took them all away…" Jace muttered. "Clary…mom, dad, Max…then Alec and Izzy…"

Rios put his hand on Jace's shoulder. "They're coming for you. I promise. They will do everything in their power to make sure that she can never hurt you again."

Rios looked to the outside of the bubble, the dark world outside shifting chaotically.

"Hurry, Ace."

* * *

Jace walked into the new apartment that Lilith had transported her base of operations to. He was covered in blood, which he should really consider washing off.

"The weapon you requested."

He handed a large duffle bag to Namir, who took it with glee. "This should keep Simy-Simon busy for a few days."

"And keep the Mark of Cain far from Jonathan's rebirth."

Namir set the large duffle bag down and unzipped it. Inside was revealed to be a girl curled in the fetal position, a vampire, to be precise.

"Wake up," Lilith said.

She gasped to life and sat up, looking around to first be greeted by Lilith and Namir's smiling faces.

"Where the  _hell_  am I?" The vampire hissed, climbing out of the duffle bag and to her feet.

"Somewhere  _safe_ ," Lilith assured her. "You're okay now."

The vampire paced before reeling on Lilith. "I'm not  _okay_. I was walking with the Praetors and  _that_  guy killed them and then stuffed me into a  _duffle_  bag."

She pointed an accusing finger at Jace, who was fingering a bloody silver chain.

"He saved your life," Lilith assured her.

"You're welcome," Jace smirked.

"Our apologies for the… _rough_  mode of transport, but we know that you didn't inherit your Sire's immunity to sunlight."

Lilith turned away to walk towards the balcony, but now she had the vampire's interest. "My Sire? Wait…you know  _Simon?_ "

"The Daylighter recently killed two of my progeny."

The girl smiled as though Lilith had told a bad joke. "Oh, that doesn't sound like  _my_  Simon."

Lilith simply smiled and turned back to her. "I know that you loved Simon, that you've  _devoted_  yourself to him. And he promised to protect you, only to send you away."

"How do you know that?" The vampire asked quietly, her voice on the verge of breaking.

"I know a great many things."

She shook her head. "Well, he thought that, um…" She ran her hand through her curly hair. "He thought that I was out of control."

"As opposed to under  _his?_ " The vampire hesitated and dropped her hand. Lilith stepped forward. "My ex once told me the same thing. And I wanted to change to please him. Just like you. But…then I realized that  _no_  woman should  _ever_ …kneel to a man."

The vampire girl smiled. "Yeah, well  _damn_  right."

"He just doesn't appreciate the bond that you have. But you can change that."

"I  _can?_ " The vampire asked eagerly.

"Oh yes." Lilith took a step forward and brushed the girl's hair out of the way. "Do as I say, and  _Simon_  will kneel to  _you_."

The vampire smiled, listening intently.

"I believe introductions are in order," Namir announced. "I am Asushunamir. You?"

The vampire girl shook her hand. "Heidi."

"Nice to meet you, Heidi. It's a pleasure to be working with you."

* * *

"So… _this_ , is your friend that's supposed to save the day?"

The man standing in Magnus's apartment at the balcony looked more like Azazel than anything else, standing all tall and proud in a suit with a drink in his hand.

"He's an expert," Val nodded.

Ace listened intently to the wind for a moment before shaking his head. "Wonderful…"

"Something wrong?" Val called.

Ace sauntered back inside and set his glass down on the table. "A Necromian just sent out the world. Clarissa Fairchild has illegally used a necromancy rune."

"There's such a thing?" Magnus asked.

"Normally it's reserved only for the highest of the highs - angels themselves. Thanks to Ithuriel's gift of giving her access to  _all_  angelic runes available to Nephilim, she's done something forbidden."

"Well who did she bring back?"

"Someone that apparently no one in the Astral realm is happy to see again: Valentine Morgenstern."

The mood in the room instantly darkened.

Then, a phone rang. Magnus reached into his pocket with a finger held up to excuse himself.

"What would make Clary do that?" Val asked. "Stupid girl, I  _knew_  she'd be an eternal pain in my side."

"She's under the hold of the Clave," Shu pointed out. "They do stupid things all the time, and with Clary under sentence for a whole myriad of things, she could easily be convinced that her only chance of living is to do what they ask."

"So why would the  _Clave_  want Valentine revived?"

"Well he  _did_  once summon her before," Ace jumped in.

The two women looked at him.

"What? It can't be a big secret? Can it?"

"First I've heard," Val admitted. "The whispers at the top hardly carry to the bottom, it seems."

"Well in the Astral world rumors get around. Long ago, Valentine Morgenstern summoned Lilith and made a deal with her - a vial of her blood in exchange for a son."

"Jonathan was sent to Edom by Valentine," Shu realized. "I had a dream, of being Namir. When Jonathan Morgenstern arrived, she wanted to burn him a thousand times over, said that the only way to prove yourself in Edom was to earn your beauty through pain."

Magnus came back into the room, holding his phone. "Good news. Alec managed to convince Lorenzo to approve."

Shu stood. "We should draw up a list and send out the fire messages."

Magnus nodded and the two of them headed to the workshop.

"You still haven't told her yet, have you?" Ace said.

"About what?" Val demanded.

"About Valak?"

"I  _am_  Valak."

"The same way you're his daughter?"

She shoved past him harshly and moved to follow Shu and Magnus, but she stopped with her back still turned to him. "I'll tell them, all right? Just that I'm not  _entirely_  Valak, but not the rest. Look, I called you here to help. So are you going to  _help_  or not?"

Ace frowned, a small lavender moth landing on his shoulder from outside. "A friend of mine came to help, now Lilith has him too. I have just as much to lose as you do."

"Then let's get to work, oh great Astral."

"Don't get cheeky with me. I'm  _still_  more powerful than you."

"Whatever, little brother."

* * *

Magnus was so distracted in his task, crossing off another name on the list, that he nearly threw a fire message right at Cat as she walked in.

"Oh! Caterina! Apologies. I'm just sending out my instructions for the synthesis spell. I'm halfway through my Rolodex."

"Magnus…"

Cat walked up with a hesitant step.

Magnus frowned. "Oh, I know that face. What is it?"

"Lorenzo forbade the warlocks from participating in your spell. And he asked the  _High Council_  to do the same."

"Why?"

"He didn't say. He just threatened to send anyone who disobeys to the dungeons of the Spiral Labyrinth."

Magnus pursed his lips and smashed his hand on the table. "At least I can count on you."

Caterina shook her head. "Normally, I would risk prison for you. I wouldn't be the first time. But…I can't  _bear_  the thought of leaving Madzie alone. I'm  _so_  sorry."

Magnus gave an exasperated face. "Don't be." He smiled up at her. "Sweat Pea needs you." Caterina gave a regretful face. "This is  _Lorenzo's_  fault."

"We both  _know_  if the warlocks can't give you the power that you need, there's someone  _else_  who can."

"No." He shook his head and turned to her. " _No!_  His help  _always_  comes at a price. I'm not  _that_  desperate."

"So what are you gonna do?" Cat demanded.

"I'm going to talk some  _sense_  into the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

* * *

" _You've reached the voicemail of Magnus Bane. Please don't leave a message at the tone. I'm centuries old, and even_ I _think it's outdated._ "

"Christe," Shu cursed.

"Do you always speak in Latin when you're upset?" Val asked. "In all honesty, it's kinda cute."

"He's been gone for  _hours_. You don't know how frustrating it is to have lost a connection between someone that allows you to know where they are  _always_  before suddenly being in the dark."

"I'm sure he'll be back," Kandai said.

Shu sighed. "You shouldn't have to be comforting me here. I'm the one that should be comforting you." She put her hand on Ren's. "This is  _my_  fault."

"He was trying to save you, thought that he could absorb some of your overload. But he's too weak. He hasn't been exposed to the powers of Heaven for millennia now."

"Ace is working on a way to help him. He's an alchemist too, so he's bound to be done in a flash."

"And that Jace boy? The one you all worked so hard to save?"

"Ace says that a friend of his is trapped in there with Jace, trying to save him in his mind. He'll be damned if he's gonna let that sit."

"But does he have the power to counter Lilith?"

"I honestly don't know. I don't think that  _he_  knows, either."

Val shook her head. "He brags about being strong, and he is, but in the long run, he's still considered an outcast of the Astrals for personal reasons. He can counter Namir. Namir and Lilith  _together?_  Now that's a stretch."

"Then how is he useful to us?"

"He's the only Astral willing to help. As far as the others are concerned, they'll only interfere when the world is already being destroyed, not a moment sooner. Until then, humans and stuff are expected to handle things."

Shu sighed. "Great."

The door to Magnus's apartment slapped shut and Shu raised her head quickly. She rushed out of her room and down the hall only to find Magnus walking out to the balcony, gripping the concrete separating him from the city with his head down, taking deep breaths.

"I think he needs some Alec time," Val advised. "Let's make a phone call."

"Right."

* * *

Alec slowly walked through the living room and joined Magnus on the balcony. Magnus wasn't keen on making the first move, so Alec did.

"You okay?"

"It's been a day," Magnus said simply.

"Yeah. We have  _no_  leads on Lilith or Jace. No word on Clary beyond that hell is going down." Alec frowned. "Is something burning?"

Magnus's eyes widened and he moved a hand to his hair. "It's…me. Things got a little heated during my talk with Lorenzo." Alec gave a knowing face but didn't say anything. "I'm afraid the warlocks are not an option."

Alec leaned his arms on the cement railing in front of him, his hands clasped together. "So that's it. Jace is trapped in his own personal hell, and I can't get him out." Alec stood straight. "He asked me to  _kill_  him, and I was too selfish to listen."

Magnus took his hand quickly. "Alexander  _stop_."

Alec shook his head. "I have to kill Jace. And I'll be  _damned_  if I'm gonna let anyone else do it."

He turned and began to storm off, but Magnus spoke up. "There's still a way for me to obtain enough power to cure him."

Alec turned back and walked up eagerly. "What? What is it?"

"My father."

"Asmodeus," Alec remembered.

Magnus nodded. "I have a way to contact him and request his help. It's the only option we have left."

* * *

"It's been hundreds of years since you banished your father," Alec said. "What makes you think he'll even  _listen_  to your request?"

"Demons are weird," Ace said. "He might listen to his son, if his son puts up a good enough offer."

"He's a bastard, but demons  _can_  be predictable," Shu popped in, spreading the last of the ingredients to make the pentagram. "Suffering makes him happy, especially human suffering. The desperation to end suffering makes him willing to make deals. You never know what a man like that is thinking, except that he likes to be the one in charge. Besides, I have some choice words for him, and some questions I need to be answered."

"Let's just say he owes us one," Magnus said.

Alec eyed the keris that Magnus had on a desk, the weapon that his mother had killed herself with. "For what happened with your mother?"

"That…and for everything in the years that followed. I was living on the streets. I didn't know  _who_  or  _what_  I was. Asmodeus took me in, nurtured my darker impulses…and taught me the…' _proper_ ' way to be a warlock. By the time I was your little brother's age I was lying and cheating, I was threatening people and crushing others under my heel. And don't even get me started on what he did to Shu. Then, he brought us together for his own little project."

"And why'd you listen to him?" Alec asked.

Magnus shook his head. "Because he was the only one in the world with eyes like me. He was my father. He was all I had."

Alec sighed. "Look, at least give me the time to call in back-up from the Institute. We don't even have Lilith under control. Another Greater Demon gets loose, it could put the whole  _city_  at risk."

Magnus stood. "Fortunately for the good people of New York, my father won't be traveling top-side."

Shu finished up the pentagram and set the jar on the table. "Ready spaghetti."

"What aren't you telling me?" Alec demanded.

Ace stepped forward. "This little pentagram here isn't for summoning Asmodeus to Earth. Those kinds require  _much_  more than this. It's for sending someone to Edom."

"In this case, me," Magnus admitted.

Alec stepped forward. " _Absolutely_  not!"

"We  _need_  my father's help," Magnus insisted. "And…the cell service down there is terrible."

"This isn't  _funny!_ "

"Would you  _prefer_  I act as terrified as I  _feel_  right now?"

"This is insane."

Magnus took a deep breath, walking around the pentagram to be in front of Alec, their eyes locking. "Tell me Jace isn't worth it."

Alec's eyes dropped and Magnus gave a small, sad smile, knowing that he had his answer. "Let's get this over with."

Val walked into the room, dressed in a new black hunter's outfit that would've easily gotten her mistaken for a Shadowhunter had she any runes on her arms. She had a jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows over a tank top that hugged her form. Her hair was pulled back in a tight braid on her shoulder, she wore fingerless gloves, combat boots, and combat pants with numerous pockets.

"I'm coming too."

"You can't," Shu snapped. "The summoning circle will only send one."

"Not if we amp up the power just a bit. No risks, just making it so that it can send two people rather than one."

"I'd hardly call that no risks."

Val gave a small smile. "You can't go to Edom with your brother because you're too angelic, sweetheart. Let me protect him for you."

"You haven't even told me who you really are if you're not Charon. You haven't told me what happened to Charon even though you  _have_  to know. You haven't told me why you were posing as his daughter, how the hell you're supposed to be helping me, and why you're even still here! On top of that, you're the one who tricked Ren and got him banished, the one who stole the ingredients from the angels to make me!"

"Meaning that your father trusts me. Meaning I have a better chance at helping him if things go south. Two people are better than one, and I'm going with him or he's not going at all and you'll have to be the reason that we don't find a way to save that Jace boy."

"We could always try smiting him with the power of the gods and hope that it doesn't kill him," Ace thew out.

"Ha, ha," Val said sarcastically. "As if you could call in a smite even if that  _was_  an option and even if Jace  _could_  survive."

Ace shrugged. "Worth mentioning."

"She has a point, Shu," Magnus interjected. "I wouldn't say that having her there makes me any worse off."

"Magnus-"

"You and I don't have a soul bond, Shu. I know you want to protect me, and you should know that I want to protect you - I want to listen to you and say that you and I are thinking the same thoughts as always. But we're not. And if we ever want to win this, have that feeling back, we need all the help we can get at this point."

Shu stared at Magnus for a long moment before scoffing and turning away, standing at the edge of the room with her arms crossed, leaning against the bookcase. "Fine, do what you want."

Val nodded. "Let's get this over with."

She snapped her fingers and summoned a cyan wave of magic that she spread out over the pentagram to light it. Magnus did the same and added a wave of red magic to hers, causing the two colors to mix together. With a flick of their wrists, the pentagram was set ablaze with flames of red and cyan together.

Val took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"You better make it back, Val," Shu warned, "or I'll drag you back from Hell and kill you to send you back permanently. I still wanna know who you are."

Val smiled. "Duly noted."

Alec grabbed Magnus's arm and turned him around. "You're gonna make it back. You hear me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Magnus said with a smile, putting his hand to Alec's neck. "Look what I have waiting for me."

Alec leaned in for a kiss before Magnus pulled himself away and stepped into the flames with Val.

She took his hands. "Brace yourself. Then pour everything you have into the pentagram."

Magnus looked out to Alec, straining under the heat of the flames. "I love you, Alexander."

"I love you too."

"Don't you dare die Magnus!" Shu called. "Or else Lilith will be the least of New York's problems."

The heat of the flames increased and both Val and Magnus strained, grunting in pain as the heat consumed them. With one final shout, they fell to their knees, the eldritch flames flared, and then snapped out, the two warlocks disappearing with the inferno.

* * *

Magnus and Val found themselves in the barren landscape of Edom, tinted a shade of murky orange. The earth was like a desert, the skies filled with clouds, thunder, and demons of Edom.

"Look," Val announced.

Magnus looked to where she was pointing: there was a house in the distance, something that looked very out of place in a world where no civilization might appear.

"We're on the outskirts of Edom," Val said. "The city could be  _days_  from here."

"We don't have that kind of time," Magnus announced.

"I know. Which means that place is our best bet to find him."

Magnus let out a sigh. "What are we waiting for then?"

* * *

As it turned out, the house was a lot nicer than they had expected. It was fully furnished, candelabras were lit all around, and it wasn't in  _total_  disarray. Yeah, it still looked like a haunted house straight out of Dracula, but combined with the eternal tangerine hue outside, it was well lit and better than nothing. Well, it had no roof and was littered with books like a librarian's worst nightmare, but hey, this was Edom, no one ever said things were perfect.

Magnus and Val shared a glance before stepping into the room.

"I feel as though this place has gone a bit downhill since the last time I was here," Val muttered. "Unless it's just a piece of this place and the rest we can't see."

"That's comforting," Magnus muttered.

" _Who dares enter the lair of Asmodeus unannounced?_ " A man's voice said, much more soothing and even…normal sounding for a guy who's so threatening as to be a Prince of Hell.

Magnus and Val looked around before Val's face hardened. "Always like making an entrance, don't you?"

They turned to find a man resembling Magnus heavily, both in age, and his face. He looked Asian, holding himself with an air of confidence and threat, his hair longer than Magnus's with significantly less glitter and sweeping down to his shoulders. In his left hand was a cane that went down to the floor, one that he may have been using because it was a part of his look. Both of them doubted he actually  _needed_  the thing. Right? He wore a formal outfit that fit the time period of the building, no doubt, and upon seeing the two, his head tilted slightly in interest.

"Be still my beating heart," Asmodeus exclaimed in a voice that resembled Magnus's. He stalked forward, using his cane. "Is that my beautiful boy…or do my eyes deceive me?"

His eyes flashed as he grinned to reveal his cat eyes while Magnus's own eyes widened as Asmodeus went in for a hug.

"Hello, Father," Magnus said awkwardly.

When Asmodeus pulled back, he studied Magnus almost like a real father would. Or possibly how one would admire a precious diamond on display at an auction. "My son. Magnus Bane." Asmodeus began to circle Magnus as Magnus made a face of endearment. "High Warlock of Greenwich…" Magnus opened his mouth, but decided against it since he technically wasn't a High Warlock anymore and considered the ramifications of telling his father that he wasn't one and risking his anger. "…here in Edom."

"Not that it matters anymore, but…I was the High Warlock of  _Brooklyn_ , not Greenwich."

Asmodeus chuckled. "Well, you'll have to forgive me for being out of touch. It's not like you  _write_. Or  _call_. Or perform the occasional blood sacrifice. At least your sister was here, or a part of her at least. How  _is_  our dear Asushunamir right now? Causing havoc as always, I assume?"

Val pursed her lips. "Things are pretty hectic, yes."

Asmodeus smiled and her. "Why, my dear Valaeyasha. I was expecting you much sooner than this after what happened to Valak."

"What  _did_  happen to Valak? I've been trying  _so_  hard to figure it out."

"Perhaps you might know one day, Valaeyasha. As for you, Magnus, I can only assume your presence here means you've  _finally_  come to your senses."

"About what?"

"Banishing the only person who ever truly cared for you."

Magnus couldn't fight the smile that formed upon his lips. "You think I came here to apologize?"

"A demon can  _hope_ , can't he? I plucked you from  _obscurity_ , and  _poverty_ , and turned you into the man that you are today."

"I'm the man I am today because I  _finally_  saw you for what you  _really_  are," Magnus snapped. "A Prince of Hell."

"You didn't seem to mind at the time."

"I didn't know any better!" Magnus locked eyes with his father, taking a bold step forward. "There isn't a  _single_  thing from our years together that doesn't make my skin  _crawl_." Asmodeus's jaw tightened and he dropped his gaze, turning away. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but…you'll get no apology from me."

"Then why have you come here?" Asmodeus turned back to Magnus, his cane dug into the floor. "Why re-open this wound?"

Magnus lowered his head, knowing that this wasn't a very good way to start when asking someone for help - ya know, angering them and declaring that you would never be what they wanted and give you what they wanted because they were kinda evil and stuff. The usual. Magnus put his hands together and tried to come off as more placating.

"I came here…to ask you for your assistance."

Predictably, Asmodeus was not appeased. "A  _FAVOR?!_ "

Magnus was thrown back by a blast of magic, barely managing to stay on his feet.

"After coming into my home and insulting me like this?! What kind of fool do you take me for?"

Magnus took a deep breath as he regained his footing and was allowed to stand straight again. He walked forward the distance that he'd been pushed back, trying to pick his words carefully. He didn't want to anger Asmodeus any more than he had to, but at the same time, showing weakness would get him nowhere. He needed to come off as strong and hope to Edom that it made Asmodeus respect him rather than hate him.

"The kind…whose love for his chosen son might outweigh his pride."

Asmodeus was silent, half interested as Magnus explained the situation to him. He even picked up one of the numerous books scattered about the place, setting his cane aside to read it.

"Just a  _little_  demonic power to help free my friend, that's all I'm  _asking!_ "

Asmodeus didn't take the eyes off his book. "Why would  _I_  ever give you the means by which Lilith could be banished back here to lord over us  _all?_ " He shut his book, dropping it aside on a desk full of them, and retook his cane. "Edom may not be Marseille, but it's a hell of a lot less miserable with her gone."

Magnus had no good answer, thinking as hard as he could, but Asmodeus had a point. Magnus had nothing to offer in his deal - Asmodeus helped for no payback except the downside of Lilith returning to pester him again. Though the two might have been known as ruling Edom together, Lilith was a thorn in even Asmodeus's side.

Magnus sighed. "Name your price."

Asmodeus looked down in consideration. "'There is a time…when we all must return to live in the houses of our fathers.' Rule beside me."

Magnus pursed his lips angrily and scoffed. "I never should have come."

He moved to leave, but Asmodeus spoke up. "Say what you will about the time we spent together, but you have to admit, you enjoyed  _every_  minute of it."

"I was a  _child_ ," Magnus hissed. He took a deep breath and turned around. "Father…I have never once come here to ask you for  _anything_. There  _must_  be something  _else_  I can give you."

Asmodeus tilted his head in consideration and a smile crept into his face. "Actually, my son…there is."

Val looked to Magnus cautiously. And when Asmodeus named his price, Magnus accepted with only a small moment's hesitation.

* * *

"Lilith's hiding in a  _mundane_  building?" Alec asked incredulously.

" _Yes,_ " Maryse said over the phone. " _The trail led us here._ "

" _She's trying to put as many bodies as possible between her and anyone with a mind to stop her_ ," Luke guessed.

"It's smart," Shu admitted, grabbing a seraph blade and causing it to instantly glow bright enough to convince her to set it back down again. "Namir's probably watching happily from above the city."

" _Any word from Magnus and Val?_ " Luke asked.

Alec sighed. "We might be on our own."

" _I'm sure Magnus is just waiting to make some sort of dramatic entrance,_ " Maryse assured him.

"Yeah," Alec sighed quietly. "Let's hope so."

"Thanks for the intel," Shu said into Alec's phone. "We'll call Izzy. She and Simon will meet us there."

" _Bring me a blade_ ," Mayrse called.

Alec sighed. "Mom…I'm gonna ask you to sit this one out."

She scoffed. " _Against the Queen of Hell?! You're gonna need all the help you can get._ "

" _Please_ , mom. For me. For Izzy. For  _Max_. Let us do the heavy lifting."

" _We pull this off, Jace is gonna need you_ ," Luke agreed.

There was a long pause, but the deep sigh that came through the phone indicated she had given in.

* * *

"Simon's been in the building forever," Alec announced. "What's taking him so long?"

"Alec, it's a high rise," Izzy reminded him.

"He's faster than going in and checking manually," Shu pointed out.

Just as she finished saying that, Simon returned in a flash. "Sorry. I tried to get as close as I could without anyone noticing, but…my vamp ears couldn't hear Clary inside anywhere."

"Well this is  _definitely_  the right place," Ace announced. "I mean  _look_  at the rooftop."

"I don't see anything," Simon said, looking to the top of the building.

"You'd need to be able to see magical energies. Lilith's concealing her location, logical move, but when you block out magic with a barrier, you can still tell where it is based on the hole that it leaves. If you can see everywhere  _except_  a certain location, that's probably what you're looking for. Not to mention that this place is  _heavily_  warded, man. You Nephies have a rune for it, don't you?"

Izzy nodded and took out her stele, activating a rune on the back of her wrist.

"What does that one do?" Simon asked.

"Spiritum," Alec explained. "It allows you to see currents of supernatural energy. So if we can't see the shark in the ocean-"

"-you can still see the waves it makes," Izzy finished.

Simon nodded, sort of understanding their point. Izzy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them again and looking at the building with a shine in her eyes.

"Lilith has portal wards on the perimeter…" Izzy rose her head up the side of the building. "And she's redirected ley lines to the top floor." She blinked and staggered slightly, her eyes returning to normal. "I've never seen magic that strong."

"Dark magic mixed and augmented with natural magic," Ace agreed. "It packs a punch for mortal eyes."

"With or without Magnus and Val, we have to get Clary out of there."

"Look, Lilith's gonna throw everything she has at us," Luke reminded them. "Including Jace."

"For the record, I'd rather not vaporize Jace if he tries to kill me," Simon announced. "But I can't control how this thing works, or the fact that he'll probably try to kill me during the fight."

"The Mark of Cain inflicts damage to those who try to harm you," Shu recounted. "Just try not to let him hit you. I mean, you're fast enough, right?"

"Jace has access to runes," Alec pointed out. "Runes Shadowhunters use regularly to keep up with vampire speed."

"But if we  _don't_  bring him, we won't have much defense against probably a swarm of Lilith's followers."

"A lot of them may be innocents that Lilith's controlling," Luke pointed out. "We don't exactly want anyone who  _can_  be saved to get vaporized just because they can't help it - they're slaves just like Jace. I have a partner in there who has someone waiting for her."

"I have another way you can be helpful," Alec announced.

He pulled his stele out of his pocket and tossed it to Simon, who was thoroughly confused as to what he could do with something that could only be used by Shadowhunters. "What am  _I_  gonna do with a steely?"

" _Stele_ ," Alec corrected.

He shrugged. "I've heard it both ways."

Alec rolled his eyes and explained the plan.

* * *

"Remember, if you see any disciples stay non-lethal. We might be able to restore them eventually."

"Zero body count is gonna be a lot easier without any mundanes in the way," Izzy pointed out.

"I can absorb a lot of them into my cards," Ace said. "The biggest problems we're gonna face are when we get to Lilith. But first, let's thin the herd. Nice idea with the fire alarm though. Luckily mundanes don't ask questions when it comes to one of those things."

"Buildings all clear on our end," Luke reported into his phone.

" _Looks like security's the last one out,_ " Alec said.

"Which means we've got about five minutes before emergency response gets in the way."

" _Here's hoping Lilith has a short fuse_."

" _The closer you get to your victory, the more paranoid you get_ ," Shu figured. " _She'll want to make sure any threats are eliminated the closer she comes to getting what she wants._ "

"How do we know if she takes the bait?" Izzy asked.

There was a crashing from above.

" _Call it a hunch_ ," Alec said before hanging up.

* * *

Jace jumped down from the top floor and landed with barely a grunt in front of Alec, rising to his feet and ready for a fight. Alec raised his bow with a nocked arrow.

"Careful," Jace said, his voice monotone. "He's still in here."

"And he's prepared to die for it," Alec countered. "I won't hesitate to fulfill that wish."

Alec let the arrow fly, but Jace held his hand out and stopped it in mid-air, letting it drop to the ground, harmless.

"I could kill you with my magic right now…but I'd rather make Jace watch as I tear you apart with  _his_ hands."

* * *

" _How_  many disciples were there again?" Ace sighed.

They were surrounded from all sides, some of the people holding blunt instruments like a sledgehammer or a pipe while another was holding an ax. Izzy flicked her snake staff open and Luke flicked out his knife. Ace flicked out his hands and cards appeared in either one.

"You have a friend of mine somewhere around here. Let's make this quick."

Ace threw his cards and the battle began.

* * *

As the battle with Jace quickly escalated to drawing swords and Alec using two arrows as his weapons, both boys landed blows upon each other, stabbing and slicing. In the end, their weapons were both lost in the struggle, until eventually Alec was pinned against the wall and Jace crushed his wrist, pushing so that his hand snapped in a bad angle and causing Alec to let out a scream.

Jace released him to fall to the ground, trying to pick himself up, but Jace walked over and kicked him down. Alec coughed, trying to regain his breath. Jace walked over and grabbed one of Alec's dropped arrows.

"Your boy is crying, you know." Jace kneeled above Alec with the arrow gripped tightly in his hand. "He's begging me… _b_ _egging_  me not to do this."

Jace raised the arrow and brought it down, but Alec caught his wrist with his good hand, holding him back just barely. "Jace…I know you're in there…it's okay. I forgive you. It wasn't you. I'm sorry we couldn't save you.

Jace pushed harder, the arrow falling to Alec's chest and nearly preventing him from speaking from the strain of holding Jace back combined with the pain in his chest from the arrow starting to pierce.

"They say the worst pain a Shadowhunter can feel is the loss of his parabatai." Jace pulled Alec's head up with his other arm. "It's time for Jace to finally feel it."

Jace pressed down harder and Alec had no room left to resist.

"Alec!"

Both Jace and Alec were surprised to see Magnus standing there. Jace lowered Alec and stood with a snarl, reaching for his weapons, but Magnus gathered a large burst of magic into his hands, more powerful than he'd ever managed before, and blasted Jace with it dead in the chest, sending him flying into a garage door behind him. As he fell to the ground again he began to spasm and scream, smacking the pavement as though something in his head was screaming and it wouldn't stop.

* * *

"Don't kill him, I'm begging you! Please! Do something! Stop him! You can't! ALEC!  _ALEC!_ "

Jace had transformed into his child self, a helpless little boy unable to do anything while his world around him crumbled. The illusion of the Institute had disappeared, replaced by nothing but a cage. That cage squeezed against Rios's forcefield, his moths losing their color and dying one by one.

Falorios could run right now. He could escape Jace's body and leave the boy to suffer the chains of imprisonment forever. But Rios couldn't. He pushed all he had into fighting back, expanding the barrier as far as he could. But it wasn't enough. He was just a moth god, and no matter how much power he put into it, he couldn't resist the power of Lilith herself.

Then, there was a blast of powerful orange magic that shook the whole mental world. The bars of the cage around them cracked, but so did Rios's barrier. The darkness began to fill with the orange electricity, everything shattered and broke. Both Jace and Rios were left exposed to the darkness, but the darkness was exposed to the power that was attacking it.

"Get out of me!" Jace screamed, flickering between his child form and his adult form. "I said get out! GET OUT!"

Rios saw the image of a demon flash around them, saw it reach out and grab Jace, starting to become a part of him, but Jace would not have it. He screamed as loud as he could, and the entire prison of Lilith's making began to crumble.

Rios pushed his hands out and threw every bit he had into destroying the darkness. And then the world completely shattered.

* * *

"No!" Lilith screamed into the night.

Namir looked across the rooftops, uninterested in Lilith's affairs. This woman was  _so_  boring, so base, and so corrupted. It almost hurt to be associated with her like this.

"It took you long enough, Asushunamir."

Shu stood as bravely as she could in the face of her other half. She regretted leaving Alec to fight Jace alone, but the Shadowhunter had been insistent that she had to worry about a bigger threat. Shu had known that Alec was right, but even so. Alec wouldn't be able to win unless Magnus and Val made it back soon with that power to save Jace. Based on Lilith's scream, hopefully, Shu was interpreting that as they had made it.

"Do you know what it's like, my dear, to be stuck in the overwhelming darkness, to  _rule_  over it, with…with these  _feelings?_ " Namir hissed.

"What feelings?"

"The feelings of a human. The boredom, the agony, the dissatisfaction. But most of all, this deep, dark,  _emptiness?_ "

* * *

Magnus rushed over to Alec as Jace spasmed, switching between Owl and Jace, back and forth in a fight that neither could win by pure force alone.

"Stay with me!" Magnus exclaimed, looking down at the wound.

The arrow had pierced Alec's chest deep enough to get it stuck inside and leave a trail of blood down Alec's chest, and the serrated edges of the arrowhead would only make it more painful to remove - not to mention it would tear the wound open further and risk Alec bleeding out.

Finally, Jace spat out a mouthful of black ichor that burned and dissolved away. From the remains, a single moth flew out and away.

Alec coughed. "Mom  _said_ …you'd make a dramatic entrance."

Magnus managed a smile. "Wise woman."

"Alec!" Jace exclaimed breathlessly. "Alec!  _Alec!_ " He rushed over to Alec and leaned over him opposite of Magnus. "Magnus, please, you've gotta fix him!"

"I can't," Magnus whispered painfully.

"You  _can't?_  What do you mean you  _can't?_ "

"My magic…it's gone. I traded it to beak Lilith's hold on you."

Jace shook his head, trying to control his thoughts and assess his options. He grabbed his stele and activated it, sizzling a healing rune onto Alec.

"Jace…" Alec panted. "It wasn't you."

Jace barely held himself back from tears, knowing that if he broke down he'd never be able to fix this. He still had a job to do, he still had the power to do this right.

"I'll take care of him," Magnus promised.

Jace pressed his stele into Alec's hand as his eyes glowed with his angelic power, no longer needing the stele to activate his runes. "I'm going to get Clary."

* * *

"Bye-bye butterfly!" Ace shouted as he kicked the final human down.

"Rise!"

Luke's former partner Ollie looked over to three of the fallen humans as they began to spasm and shake. A moment later, three giant insect demons sprouted from each of their stomachs.

"Ew," Ace muttered.

"How we gonna take care of  _those_  guys?" Luke asked.

Ace flicked his hands and a fan of cards flicked into either palm. "Better question is how long do they think they can last?"

He threw his cards in a flurry as they sliced through the insects and sent them into a confusion. He then threw a few precise ones right through the heads and dissolving them. More of the humans began to shake and released more of the demon bugs and Ace gave a face.

"Gross."

It was then that through one of the doors came Jace, eyes glowing with angelic power, as he sliced through the demons with a fury, seraph blade practically singing.

"Kill stealer," Ace muttered.

"Clary's on the top floor!" Luke called.

Jace gave them a nod and a smile before sprinting away.

* * *

"Lilith's plans are crumbling," Shu said. "Simon has made it to Clary."

"It doesn't matter much to me," Namir said. "Nothing really matters much to me. While you got to go play hooky up here on the surface world, I was stuck down in Edom trying to please a mother that I never  _could_. Let them banish her back to where she came from. Good riddance. The woman was twisted beyond anything even  _I_  could conceive. But I wonder. Would you and  _I_  become like that, if given enough time? Would every piece of humanity within us actually destroy us?"

"The humanity is the only thing that keeps us together, that keeps us alive, makes us  _powerful_ -"

"And it makes us flawed. It gives us pain, it makes this large gaping hole within my chest that refuses to go away, and I just…I want rest. Don't you?"

"I still have things to live for in this world."

Namir turned to look up at her. "Well. I suppose that makes one of us."

From below, Lilith's screams pierced the air. Shu had just enough time to see Namir's smile form on her face, just before the entire top floor exploded.


End file.
